DaPPA: Prehistoric Revolution
by Darksage95
Summary: Hazel and friends are back in an all new adventure as they travel to the Jurassic period to rescue the famous Allosaurus from extinction. What was supposed to be a simple mission turns into an adventure as they encounter hungry carnivores, being baked under the sun, and meet new allies. Also crosses over with Disney's Dinosaur and Dinosaur Revolution. Rated T for blood and language
1. Jurassic Timescape

_Darksage95: Hey guys! Long time no see! Darksage and Marc Ello-Re-Yes are here with the next installment in the Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure series!_

 _Marc: Yeah! Been long-time you guys! We told you we didn't give up on this series._

 _Darksage95: So, as we mentioned before, this story will take place 145 million years in the past during the Late Jurassic period in the western United States and will include the Dinosaur Revolution episode "The Watering Hole" and The Ballad of Big Al. We're going to be making some adjustments to the story, such as the time ranges and certain dinosaurs in the area, but it's so that we could maintain the scientific accuracy._

 _Marc: In addition, we'll be adding a couple of details not true to some of these characters, but they're only minor. Please no flames._

 _Darksage95: Well, now that we got all that out of the way, let's get this show on the road!_ _ **Disclaimer: We don't own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, Dinosaur Revolution, and the Walking with Dinosaurs series. They all belong to their respective owners. In addition, we don't own any musical tracks in the story. They belong to their artists.**_

 _Darksage95 and Marc: ENJOY!_

 _ **Soundtrack: Prehistoric Park Opening by Daniel Pemberton/The Time Portal by Daniel Pemberton/Flying Theme from How to Train Your Dragon by John Powell**_

 _ ***Note: Actus Dei is something that will not be used in this story, but serves as the main theme***_

 _Introduction…_

 _There is something missing from our world. The amazing animals that time has left behind. But what if we can bring them back? What if extinction didn't have to be forever? We're going back in time on a safari with a difference, as wildlife adventurer Nigel Marven plunges into pre-history to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction. His plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present and give them a second chance. Last time, Nigel and Hazel managed to rescue a herd of dinosaurs from the destruction of the fated meteor 65 million years ago, where they also faced challenges in the 21st century. Now, Hazel and her partner Flia travel to the Jurassic period to rescue a famed predator from extinction. Welcome to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary. Welcome to Prehistoric Park._

Prehistoric Park Time Portal…

10:30 AM

It was late morning in the hidden wildlife sanctuary. Many of the employees were attending to their duties. Either feeding the Residents, cleaning their enclosures, or repairing broken equipment. With Marcus slowly making Communicators for all of the keepers of Prehistoric Park, it made their jobs slightly awkward now that they understood what the various creatures they cared for over the years strike up casual conversation with them during their duties. Despite the momentous change, the park keepers took it in stride.

The recent inclusion of Aladar's Herd made the park employees' workloads a bit difficult at the moment since the number of Residents now outnumbered Prehistoric Park's workforce even more so than before. Nigel was aiming to rectify this problem in the near future by searching for more potential employees to accommodate Prehistoric Park's sudden surge of new creatures.

As people went off to do their business, near the park's Stationary Time-Poles was Hazel Veran who was frantically triple-checking the contents of her overly large backpack. She had her backpack filled to the brim with things that she _might_ need during her mission. She was even dressed in a white tank top with a diamond printed pattern with blue, pink, and black all over, black finger less gloves, her favorite denim shorts, and her black and pink sneakers. Needless to say, she was over prepared.

Despite being excited to get back into the swing of Prehistoric Park's mission of rescuing the creatures from the past, Hazel couldn't help but to feel slightly nervous. This was her first mission that she has planned and got permission to do, and she didn't want her first mission to run into any problems.

' _No, no, no!_ ' The young woman shook her head to shake loose anymore of her doubt. ' _You got this Hazel. This'll be like all of the other times I went to the past… except now this is entirely upon my own shoulders._ '

"Hey Hazel! Sorry I'm late. Ready to get going?" Looking skyward, Hazel spotted her best friend Flia landing of to her right, her saddle already equipped. The young adventurer smiled as her nerves calmed down. She wasn't alone on this trip; she had Flia looking out for her.

"Yeah, I'm good," Hazel said as she shouldered her backpack. "I just double-checked the things in my bag. I want to make sure we have everything we need for the rescue."

The keeper climbed onto her partner's saddle to get ready for takeoff. Flia grunted in surprise, caught off guard from her friend's heavier than normal weight.

The pterosaur stumbled slightly before she caught herself from falling on her face. "Holy—! I don't remember you being this heavy Hazel. Did you put on some pounds when I wasn't looking?"

Hazel slapped at her friend's back while rolling her eyes.

"First off, that's rude! I didn't gain weight. Second, it's probably my bag." Hazel gave Flia an apologetic smile. "Sorry Flia, this is my first mission that I requested from Nigel. I just don't want to be under-prepared.

"I can take out some things if it's too heavy for you." The young woman offered.

The Sky-Scout shook her head as she straightened up. "No, it's fine. Just caught me off guard is all. I can still fly with you, just don't expect me to be flying at my top speeds."

"Alright then," Hazel rolled her eyes.

"Well it looks like someone's eager to head out," someone mentioned from behind.

Turning around, the duo noticed a man dressed in a loose long-sleeved collared shirt with a brown vest. His shorts were right above knees, which he always used whenever he started a day at Prehistoric Park. The man's hair was short and was graying on the sides. Anyone who worked in the sanctuary knew him as the world-renowned zoologist and paleontologist Nigel Marven. But to Hazel, he was her mentor and father-figure.

"Hey Nigel. Yeah, we're planning on going in a few minutes."

"What and you were planning to do so without saying goodbye?" he gave her a skeptical look.

"Nigel! It's not like I'm going to be gone for 10 years or something! It's just a normal rescue that'll probably last a couple days," Hazel reassured dismissively.

"Uh huh," the man nodded after rolling his eyes. "Sure. I know you've been wanting to go through with this mission, but you'd better not come back to me in pieces."

"Oh don't worry," Flia stepped forward, replying sweetly to him. "I'll be keeping an eye on her."

The head of the park nodded in satisfaction. Instinctively, he brought his right hand up to feel for the Communicator he donned that morning. Years ago, when he first opened the park, he along with the rest of the employees had to rely on research and observation when it came to understanding their Residents, along with any other rescues. Then, one day, he managed to invent a special device that allowed the wearer to communicate with prehistoric creatures. It just so happened that around this time last year, he was sending his protégé into the past alone to not only rescue a herd from a meteor strike, but to test out his new invention. It turns out that the herd she rescued was the large group of dinosaurs, and a clan of lemurs, that resided in the valley section of the park. Through some events that spanned several weeks, everyone in the park had become closer than before.

"Thanks, Flia. Now I'm sure you've already noticed, but Hazel can be a bit of a wild one out in the field. You've seen how stubborn she can be," Nigel warned, causing the young woman to gawk at him.

"NIGEL!" she gritted her teeth at him. Her face taking on a hint of red.

"Not to worry Nigel," the _Pteranodon_ lifted a winged finger up in a promise gesture. "I'll make sure she stays out of trouble. After all, I volunteered to come along. If anything happens, we'll be back here before you can say 'dive-bomb.'"

Right when she said that, the portal into the past erupted to life. The familiar translucent ripples that led into their destination shimmered in front of them. Beyond their lush green paradise they now called home was an arid landscape with less vegetation than their valley. From where they were, they could see that the portal was situated on a plateau that overlooked dry plains within a rugged valley.

"Alright, so your destination is the Late Jurassic period, 145 million years ago. In terms of conditions, you're looking at a time that's a bit warmer than the conditions in the Late Cretaceous. If you need anything, just give me a call or use the portal to port right back here," he explained to the two of them.

"Got it. Thanks!" Hazel saluted with two fingers.

Flia crouched low before leaping into the air. The pterosaur spread apart her wings, showing her enormous wingspan. However, due to the amount of weight she was carrying, her balance was faltered and thus was not flying at her normal speed. The shakiness in her flight nearly caused both her and her partner to plummet face flat on the ground.

"Whoa!" Flia gasped, flapping her wings to stay aloft.

"Easy Flia! Easy!" Hazel soothed.

Within a matter of moments, the duo flew through the portal, causing ripples to occur in the gate. They left the sereneness of the 21st century into the beautiful yet treacherous time of the Jurassic Period.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first thing that the sky scouts encountered when they arrived in the Jurassic period was the climate. Hazel knew that the Jurassic period was pretty warm and wet compared to the scorching hot Triassic and the moderately distributed climate of the Cretaceous. But she didn't expect this part of the Jurassic period to be as dry as the desert she arrived in when she first met the Valley Herd in the late Cretaceous. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Flia, who was gasping for breath from trying to stay aloft with the huge weight on her back and the arrival in the new time.

"Oh my!" Flia gasped, flapping her wings rapidly as she tried to gain more altitude.

"You okay, Flia?" Hazel inquired, gripping onto the saddle straps tightly from the shaky flight pattern.

"I'm fine...it's just... I didn't expect to have my breath literally taken out of me once we went through that portal thing…" the pterosaur breathed heavily, now taking in some proper oxygen.

"Well why didn't you take a deep breath then?"

"Because SOMEONE didn't warn me of how dry this time was going to be. Nigel said this place was going to be warmer than what I'm used to! I didn't expect it to be this dry!" Flia scoffed. Hazel playfully smacked her friend in the back of the neck as a way of chiding with her.

Right when she did that, the pterosaur shook in midair, causing the rider to yelp and hang onto the saddle straps for dear life. The flyer rocked from side to side for a few seconds before dive bombing into the gorge below. Hazel screamed as they plummeted hundreds of feet into the air.

"Holy shit! Flia! Pull up! Pull up!" Hazel begged.

But the pterosaur didn't comply. She merely looked back at her and gave her a mischievous smirk.

Several seconds passed and they were right about to impact on the ground. Hazel screamed for dear life, practically pulling on the saddle straps back to tell the _Pteranodon_ to flatten her flight pattern. At the last second, the sky scout did so, and they flew at least 5 feet from the dry valley terrain.

"Oh my God…" Hazel gasped, relieved that they survived that ordeal. "Flia! What the heck!?"

"THAT was payback for not warning me," she chuckled, entertained by the reaction the human portrayed during the frightening experience.

"You could have killed the both of us with that stunt!"

"Oh please, do you really think I am that stupid? I would never endanger the both of us, you especially."

"Well don't do that again!" Hazel groaned. "You kill the both of us and I will pester you in the afterlife!"

Flia glanced back at the rider and gave her a confused look. "Afterlife?"

The human shook her right hand dismissively. "Never mind."

They flew on for the next hour or so. The land they flew over was reminiscent to the desert they traveled through about a year ago, at least in Hazel's case. The only difference was that there was sparse vegetation everywhere. As they flew, the tall trees in the valley turned into small shrubs once they were in the outskirts. Nevertheless, the change in scenery did not change the types of dinosaurs they were seeing.

Flia was truly amazed by the creatures she was looking at. Some of them were slightly like the dinosaurs she was used to seeing in Prehistoric Park, such as the brown and blue-striped fleet-footed _Othnielia_ , their larger hunter-green hued cousins known as _Dryosaurus_ , small herds of the slender terra-cotta colored cousins of the _Iguanodon_ known as _Camptosaurus_ , and the hefty long-necked _Camarasaurus_. All of which she asked Hazel on their identities.

Hazel did her best when identifying the dinosaurs that the scout pointed out. The first species, the _Othnielia_ , were easy to decipher. They were about the size of small children in terms of height and were no more than 4 feet in length. Considering that they were in this part of the United States, that was the best identification she could come up with. Flia was also a bit unnerved when she first noticed them as she compared them to the _Velociraptors_ she was used to escaping from. The woman calmed her, saying that these dinosaurs were purely herbivore.

The next ones were the _Dryosaurus_. Like the _Othnielia_ , they possessed the same bipedal stature and body appearance, except for the color coordination on their hides and that they're at least twice their size, being about 8-14 feet long. Their strong, powerful legs were testament of how fast they could run. And run they did, because they demonstrated that ability when they flew down a little closer to them for an up-close encounter. Though Hazel had no way of determining the actual speed they were running, she did some research some time ago that they could run up to 25 miles per hour. They were not as fast as _Velociraptors_ , but they were still speedy. In addition, if Hazel were standing next to one of them, they would be at the same height stature as herself.

The _Camptosaurus_ were also easy to identify. They had a similar bodily structure as the _Iguanodons_ the two scouts were used to seeing back in Prehistoric Park. They were slightly more lethe than their more famous Cretaceous cousins and much smaller than them by a meter in height. Though Flia did not know this, Hazel knew that since they were one of the most primitive iguanodontids, they sported spiked thumbs, at least smaller versions of the ones she was used to seeing.

Finally, there was the _Camarasaurus_ herd that was meandering towards a large patch of trees several meters north of them. The stoutly built sauropods were much smaller than the _Borealosaurus_ and Baylene the Brachiosaurus back at the park. Nevertheless, they were still large, standing tall at 10 meters. They were slightly heftier too, both around their legs and at their necks compared to their slenderer cousins. The other thing that set them apart from other sauropods was the shape of their snouts, which were box shaped and more rounded rather than lean or having a steep nasal ridge.

The small herd trumpeted as they approached the distant oasis in the scarce plains. The individuals were unaware of the presence of the two time travelers that were marveling at them from afar.

But even with the magnificent sights of these Jurassic denizens, they found no sign of what they were looking for.

"Hazel, I don't see any predators in the area," Flia said with disappointment.

"Yeah," Hazel agreed, matching that tone. "Let's try looking outside the valley."

With that said, the duo made their way out of the valley and into a large desert expanse. The ground soon turned from having sparse vegetation and small rock formations into absolutely barren. The few mountains and plateaus around them were barren as well, having no sign of green at all. In addition, the climate seemed to had gotten hotter with the approach of noon. There didn't seem to be any indication of life for miles. Or so they thought.

They found multiple indentations on the sand and dirt. They looked like huge circles that a group of people stamped on the ground or pillars that seemed to move in a peculiar pattern.

"Footprints!" Hazel exclaimed with a smile.

"Indeed, but what made them?" The pterosaur wondered, scrutinizing every detail.

"Flia, what's that up ahead?" Hazel squinted in the distance. She couldn't quite make out the shapes as the rising heat from the ground was obscuring the view. But they did look like large, grey dots that did not match the landscape.

"I don't know. I can't quite make them out either. Let's go higher for a better view."

The duo gained altitude at that statement. When they did, the obscuration the desert was creating cleared up the image. The dots they were looking at were giant Jurassic animals. They looked similar in appearance to the _Camarasaurus_ they encountered earlier, but they were longer and more horizontally inclined in body shape. They were also slender too, and possessed long tails that had their tips curling in the air like leaves. In addition, they had huge spines along their long necks down to the base of their massive tails. Their heads were also narrow, looking like Yin and her Flock except slightly slenderer than their Cretaceous relatives.

"Sweet Maker on high! These guys are huge!" The _Pteranodon_ exclaimed, completely awestruck by the huge sauropods. From where they were, she counted at least about 12 members.

Hazel couldn't help but squeal with glee. Considering the location they were in along with the approximate 90 feet in length these sauropods sported, they were in the midst of a herd of one of Hazel's dinosaurs.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Hazel blabbered out quickly.

"Ow! Easy there partner! You scream much louder and you'll make me deaf," Flia glanced back at the ecstatic human, her slightly hurting from that squeal. "What are these things?"

"They're _Diplodocus_! They're one of my favorite dinosaurs ever! Oh, I've always wanted to see one in person!"

"If Baylene were here, she would definitely beat them in terms of height. But they are pretty long... Where do you think this herd is going?" The flyer wondered, now looking back at the dinosaurs. The vocalizations they were now making echoed out for miles. Flia was having trouble making heads or tails of what she was listening to, but to Hazel, she equated the sounds to the cries of whales. Some of them made bleating sounds too, but not like that of sheep from the 21st century. They sounded deeper and have a rasp to it.

Hazel shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I'm not a huge expert in dinosaur migrations. But if I had to guess, these guys are probably headed to some kind of feeding grounds."

She then looked at the front of the herd. The immense shape of a _Diplodocus_ that towered above the rest was at the very front. From the bulk and size of the sauropod, the human deduced it to be male and the eldest in the herd. Hazel took a gamble and gave her friend her suggestion. "Let's ask that one! He looks like the leader!"

The flying travelers from the future dove after the herd. Using her gift of speed, Flia weaved her way around the immense shapes with ease. Hazel warned her of one of the tails that was moving from side to side, informing the pterosaur of the amount of damage their whip tails could do to others. The purple flying reptile took heed of that and spun out of the way of the incoming tail.

As they flew, they attracted the attention of the members of the herd. Poor Flia really had to fly briskly just to bypass them. And with the huge weight on her back, thanks to Hazel's overpacked bag, her flight speed was limited. The dinosaurs gasped and yelped in surprise at the new creatures that were weaving through their ranks. Even one female, who was minding her own business, found herself skidding to a stop lift her neck up in surprise when the scouts flew under her neck. Those who were not in range for the surprise up-close encounter watched in wonder at what they were looking at.

"Sorry!" Flia apologized, expertly moving around them.

"Excuse us! Pardon us! Just passing by!" Hazel added as they moved along.

Finally, after traversing the huge lengths of the sauropods, they were at the front of the herd. The pterosaur skidded to a halt, just enough to keep up with the pace the leading _Diplodocus_ was going.

Hazel waved a hand at him, and shouted so loud that Flia's ears felt like popping.

"Hey there!"

Startled by the sudden greeting, the creature looked over to his right, only to see two creatures that he had never seen before. The appearance of a giant flyer larger than the miniscule ones he was used to, and a scale-less two-legged creature shocked him even more. The leader staggered to the right, all the while moving his neck away for just a moment.

"What the-!? Uh, hello there!" The leader readjusted himself, albeit speaking in what Hazel would call a sophisticated southern United States accent.

"Sorry! We didn't mean to startle you! Are you the leader of this herd?" Flia inquired, which caused the sauropod to lean in a little closer to them.

"I sure am, little darlin'. My name is Charles, the big boss of this band of _Diplodocus_ ," the _Diplodocus_ greeted with a bow as a way of showing respect. "And what about you two? I've been livin' on these plains for my entire life and have never seen the likes of you."

The _Pteranodon_ was about to answer his question, but her human partner beat her to it. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but was relieved when the human managed to tell him what he needed to know and not add in unnecessary details. "My name's Hazel and I'm a human. And this here is my partner, Flia. She's a _Pteranodon_. We're travelers of sorts from the future."

"The future you say?" Charles cocked an eye ridge up and looked up to the sky in confusion for a moment. "Why, that's by far the most outrageous thing I've ever heard. That a place around here?"

Flia stammered at that statement. She really had no idea how to reply to that question without accidentally talking about Prehistoric Park. While it seemed okay to talk about her new home, she feared that it would attract too much attention. Plus, she was starting to think that Hazel may want to bring this herd back with them without their consent. Well, the situation she and her own herd went through was different, but she didn't want this herd to be frazzled from being pulled away from their own time unless they were willing to.

Thankfully, she didn't need to worry about that.

Hazel gave him a nervous chuckle and waved her hand dismissively. "Erm...not exactly. Let's just say it's a long way off. Where are you guys headed?"

"The folks here along with myself are headin' to one of our feeding grounds. The one we were staying at went dry and, well, big folks like us need a lot of food. We go to where the food is. Now then, what brings you here to this part of our stomping grounds?"

This time, it was Flia who could answer first. Being up and personal with a 100-foot-long behemoth who was also the herd leader really made her on edge. At least he was nothing compared to Kron, her former boss before Aladar took over. "We're doing some exploring for a certain creature. This is our first time here and we're trying to get the lay of the land. Tell me, have you seen a creature known as a... oh what is it called again?"

"We're looking for some _Allosaurus_ ," the human answered, causing the sauropod to gawk at them. "If you've seen some lately, could you please point us in the general direction?"

Charles sputtered, stupefied at the reason these smaller creatures were here in the first place. " _Allosaurus_? You mean those monsters that feed on us until we're nothin' but bone? Now why would a couple of sweet peas such as yourselves look for a couple of flesh-eaters like those? You lookin' for a death sentence or something?"

"No!" The young Prehistoric Park traveler retorted. "We just want to know where they are! It's part of our...scouting regime! We're looking for big predators to watch out for."

Flia sighed. Though that wasn't the entire truth, she hoped that the _Diplodocus_ would buy it. The giant scrutinized them even more, silence falling between them like an invisible blanket. Both hoped he would take that story.

Miraculously, he did.

"I see...well if you're lookin' for big predators like those, I do know that a couple of them live in the Watering Hole several miles north of us. The herd here always makes a stop there for a bit before we head out to the Salt Plains, but we don't stay there very long. Not enough food there and those sharp-biters are always in that area," he told them, waving his neck and looking over in that direction before returning his attention to his guests.

The _Pteranodon_ nodded in satisfaction, now knowing the general direction they needed to go. "Watering Hole. Got it. Thanks."

"Yeah! Thanks Charles. Well, we'd better be going now. Got some scouting to do," Hazel added, showing that same satisfaction in her tone.

"You two be careful now," Charles gestured to them in a polite yet protective tone. "There are more things to worry about here than predators, so you two stay on your toes."

"We will! Bye Charles!" The human waved goodbye as the pterosaur flapped her wings faster to gain speed and angled her body up to gain altitude. She powered through the Jurassic skies, leaving the traveling _Diplodocus_ herd behind.

"Pleasure meeting you, Hazel and Flia from the land known as The Future! Good luck on your travels!" Charles returned the goodbye, his voice fading with the increase in distance.

"Wow...those herd members were huge! Hazel, you never told me that the denizens in this time were so big!" Flia said, still awestruck by the experience of being amid creatures that were bigger than anything she had ever seen, besides the sauropods back at home.

Hazel chuckled lightly and patted her friend on her back. "Welcome to the Time of the Titans."

The duo flew on towards the destination their new ally gave them. Their mission was now clear, but they had no idea on what kinds of dangers they would encounter.

 _Darksage95: And voila! The first chapter in the Prehistoric Revolution installment. Sorry it's kind of short, but don't worry, the story's about to unfold._

 _Marc: Now just to remind you guys, with the summer months coming up, other priorities will be coming our way, so we're going to be a bit busy in the months approaching. Nevertheless, we'll do our best in posting new chapters._

 _Darksage95: We hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter and stay tuned for the next one!_


	2. Tragic Meetings

_**Soundtrack:**_ _ **Palm Sanctuary by Brandon and Derek Fiechter/Sadness and Sorrow by Taylor Davis**_

Hazel parted the dry shrubbery before her. The tiny thorns on the branches barely pierced her skin, but they were not enough to cause much damage. Small, ancient leaves kissed her skin like small fiery sparks, the result of being under the sun for a long time. While those were bothersome, the human was more concerned with what was ahead of her.

The landscape she looked upon looked like something out of a survival show. Barely any vegetation was around, save for a few trees and shrubs that were adapted to the harsh desert environment. Hills dotted each portion of the perimeter like a natural barrier. There were so many small rocks on the ground that even one misstep could lead to a bad day in the infirmary. Only a few insects flew around the landscape, which was more of a deathtrap to anyone else who was not from the area.

But the most notable feature was that of a single large pond off of the corner of Hazel's eye. While it looked shallow, it did provide enough water that could last for a whole season, depending on the weather. The dirt was clearly seen from the surface while mud holes dotted parts of the shore. Hazel knew from seeing so many TV shows that stepping in those would result in getting stuck. The sun would bake the mud, turning it into something similar to cement. Animals from modern day Africa had to face this sort of problem many times during migrations; the fight against dehydration. Yet they also had to face the risks of the watering hole, like the possibility of nearby predators.

The Asian looked all around the gathering site. A myriad of animals stayed close to the watering hole while a few chose to go to the few vegetation in the area. With so little resources, there was no doubt that these were migratory animals. Large sauropods with speckled hides of white, red, and gray resembling a spiderweb fashion gracefully meandered towards the only source of water. Their tails whipped in the wind like stiff wires. Hazel had done her homework on these sort of creatures even before she went to the park. It was not difficult to see that they were members of the family Diplodocidae. Their long necks, narrow skulls, and whip-like tails were all easy giveaways.

Close to them were creatures that were four-legged giants about the size of elephants. The plates on their backs along with their spiked tails were easy indications of a Stegosaurus. While the Stegosaur family had numerous members, most of which were in the Jurassic period, these gray-hued animals were the largest of their species, and very populous in North America. Their skin was olive-toned with faint dark grey stripes running vertically on their backs. Their plates were lined black on the edges while they faded into a near transparent olive in the middle. Those bony armor plates were just as Hazel pictured it from her books; small from the head, then getting bigger as they go along the back, then receding down to the tail in a perpendicular pattern.

While those were the creatures that were gathered around the watering hole, there was no sign of any predator in the vicinity. No large three-toed footprints, no skeletons of dead animals, not even any sign of dung. It was almost as if it was too quiet…

"Oh Sweet Maker…" a voice sounded from behind the human. Hazel only had to look back for a second to see that it was only her travelling companion Flia. The large pterosaur rolled her shoulders in a quick movement, causing uncomfortable popping sounds to break the silence. The flight they took towards this place had exhausted her, and it was not very surprising either. Flying around with a bag filled with more than enough supplies for a routine rescue mission would weigh down anybody. The Pteranodon had not been going at her usual speed and had to flap her wings harder just to stay aloft.

Hazel was about to apologize about bringing so many supplies again when she heard something different come from her best friend's beak. "I've never seen any creatures this large before. Are you sure we are in the correct time period? It feels like we've come to an entirely different world."

"Oh we're in the right place alright," the girl smirked. "Also, if you've never seen creatures this big, then what about Baylene, Yin and her Flock?"

Flia scoffed, taking that into slight offense. "I mean large creatures OTHER than them. What are those large creatures that look like our titanic companions?"

Hazel narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing each and every feature of the drinking and grazing sauropods. From her knowledge on the Diplodocidae family, nearly all of the members were similar in appearance to each other. Trying to determine what they were just from observing them was difficult. However, Hazel had clues on the creatures and of the time period that helped her to an extent. They were somewhere in the southwestern United States, during the Late Jurassic period. The sauropods she was looking at looked like the famous Diplodocus, except they were much longer than them and lacked the distinct vertebrate spines that ran along their backs. She would need to do a bit of research on them when they get back to Prehistoric Park, but she was pretty sure of their identity.

"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, we're looking at a herd of Supersaurus. Translated to "super lizard", these are among the largest creatures to ever walk the planet in this time. Like Baylene and Yin, along with her Flock, they hail from the same evolutionary line known as the sauropods," Hazel guessed to the best of her ability.

"Alright, then what of those beings with the odd things on their back?" Flia gestured to the Stegosaurus that were near the immense long necks.

"Stegosaurus," she continued her impromptu explanation of the Jurassic dinosaurs before them. "They're a unique type of dinosaur in this time that are characterized by the plates along their back and the spines on their tails. They're like the Triceratops, the Pachyrhinosaurus, the Styracosaurus, and Url back in the Park when it comes to being armored. And these guys are the largest of their species."

"Incredible…now I see what you meant when you said 'Time of the Titans'…" Flia could only gape at the sight of the giant creatures at the watering hole.

The girl giggled at the sudden thought that came to her. Thinking of the best Alan Grant impression, she announced her introduction to the time period they were in. "Welcome to the Jurassic Period."

"Well, with all the formalities aside, we should be focusing at the situation at hand. Like why are we here? We should be searching for this so called 'Allosaurus' from the air. It would be much easier to find them."

"Well Flia," she replied while ignoring that other reaction and scanning the area for any other signs of their targeted creature. "It would take a while to find it in the air. They could be anywhere. So I thought it would be easier to stay in one place and scope it out."

"How is that a good idea? That does not sound very productive…" the Pteranodon mentioned with a large amount of doubt.

"Simple. With such a large amount of herbivores in the area gathering in this place for some salvation from the desert, they'll no doubt attract a lot of attention. And I'm sure you remember the herd's previous migrations too. Where there are herbivores, there are always carnivores nearby," Hazel simply explained.

Flia exploded with such ferocity that caused the human to quickly turn. "Are you saying that my herd is no better than these creatures here!?"

"No that's not what I meant! I'm simply stating the facts!" she defended with a slight wave of her hands, thus letting go of the bushes she held onto. The branches shook a little, even causing some leaves to fall to the ground. "Those Velociraptors last year trailed us all the time when the herd was migrating to the Nesting Grounds. I'm sure you've noticed. Then I'm really not sure if the herd encountered any large predators in whatever feeding grounds they were at that were NOT the Nesting Grounds. It's really obvious! Large clusters of herbivores would no doubt attract carnivores."

The sky scout brought her wing up to her forehead, her fingers created a little smack that was near inaudible. To both of them, it looked like the equivalent of a face palm, except it was more of a wing palm. Her eyes were closed for a moment before she returned to her normal stature.

"Alright, you bring up a point. So is that why we're here?"

Hazel nodded and then turned to part the bushes once more. "Yup. All we need to do is check the place out. The predators would no doubt be just as tired as these guys, so they would like to come in for a drink too."

"We could do that. Observe the situation, then come in at the right time," the pterosaur offhandedly remarked.

"You know what?" Hazel cocked an eyebrow and released the branches of the bushes, allowing them to sway in the wind again. "I've got a better idea. We could just ask!"

The sky scout watched in complete bewilderment as her best friend rushed around the vegetation towards the partial Sanctuary and deathtrap. Her beak fell open and thoughts of the human getting harmed by the strange herbivores flooded her mind. The dust the kicked up from the girl's footsteps wafted in the air before settling back down. Rocks clattered as she passed by. Flia had no idea why her friend was acting this way, but her best guess would be the excitement of going on another mission.

"Hazel! Are you crazy!? Get back here!" she ordered. Going around the bushes, she found the perfect opening to take off. Jumping off and gliding on what little wind was in the air, she did her best to follow after the overexcited human, all the while avoided getting caught by the local vegetation below.

Eager to make her mark, Hazel quickly made her way to the prehistoric creatures at the water-hole. Most of the dinosaurs gave her questioning looks and whispered amongst their friends, perplexed at seeing their first human, while others grunted aggressively to ward off the human anomaly visiting their drinking spot. Hazel made sure to give a particular female Stegosaurus guarding her children a wide berth when her tail swung back and forth a little too fast for the young woman's liking. When the young adventurer came to the drinking hole, the only dinosaur that wasn't completely bothered by her presence was one of the colossal sauropods. He towered over most of the creatures present, even among the other Diplodociades. His large and healthy stature tipped Hazel off that this individual was the alpha of the herd of sauropods here; or at the very least a close friend to the leader. He was currently craning his neck down to take long sips from the refreshing water of the desert.

When Hazel was close enough, she cupped her hands over her mouth and called out to the titanic herbivore. "Excuse me sir? I would like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind?"

Not expecting company, the male herbivore gasped and then proceeded to sputter and cough out water that went down the wrong pipe. He grunted and shifted his focus in the direction of the young woman.

With her experience with both Baylene and Yin, even the helpful Diplodocus Charles to some extent, Hazel had come to the conclusion that all sauropods had a type of nobility-like quality to them; since both Brachiosaur and Borealosaur females had an air of grace and sophistication to them. So she expected that this male would have the same or similar poise and composure with a sophisticated tone—

"Whoa, what's your bag dude?! I thought I told ya hodads to not be a total spaz when I'm in my mellow! You chicks know how majorly hacked I get when I freak out. So hang loose and keep it groovy, you dig?"

Or she could be totally wrong.

Instead of an eloquent and cultured voice that Hazel expected, the sauropod's speech was more akin to an unrefined hippie from the 1960s. The young girl didn't have anything against hippies in general, but the reveal of a sauropod that wasn't the epitome of grace threw her off a bit.

"Oh, um… uh…" Hazel's mind was trying to catch up to the situation at hand from the unexpected culture of the Jurassic herbivore. Thankfully, the male looked down at the miniscule human in surprise and leaned in closer to observe Hazel.

"Check it out, a mini-dudette!" the male proclaimed, practically face to face with the young adventurer. "I've been trollin' round the Salt Plains all my life and I've never seen sumthin' as twitchin' as you babe."

Noting the peculiar tidbit of the male sauropod's dialect, Hazel quickly recovered and adjusted herself to the odd behavior before responding. "Hello sir, my name is Hazel. I'm a human that traveled from the future."

"That sounds radical man!" the male exclaimed as he straightened himself up. "Name's Hendrix, Future Babe. I'm the head honcho of my Supersaurus brothers and sisters."

"Nice to meet you Hendrix. And this," Hazel introduced the pterosaur companion waddling up to meet them, "is my partner, Flia the Pteranodon."

Gasping for breath from the heavy burden on her saddle, Flia huffed out, "Nice to meet you Hendrix…"

The Supersaurus nodded his head in understanding. "Oh! You mean you foxes are goin' steady… I dig."

It took Hazel a few moments to decipher Hendrix's 60's lingo, and when she did her face flushed in embarrassment. "NO HENDRIX! Me and Flia aren't a couple or romantically involved in any way. Besides, we're both females and two separate species."

The hippie-esque Supersaurus shrugged his shoulders dismissively, "Hey, don't sweat it you two. Ol' Hendrix is the grooviest Daddy-o on the Salt Plains! This Supersaur brother ain't judgin' who wants to do the hanky panky with who."

The flight duo had to get the promiscuous implications that the sauropod was saying out of their heads before Hazel attempted steer the conversation back to less deviant thoughts.

"ANYWAYS! Hendrix, the reason me and my strictly platonic friend came over was to ask if you've seen any Allosaurs in the area, and if so where they were."

Before Hendrix could reply to the young Asian's query, a young feminine voice tore the alpha male's attention away.

"Lil' dipstick, you're harshin' on my mellow! Make tracks ankle biter!" The young voice shrieked in displeasure.

Hazel and Flia turned their eyes towards the disturbance along with Hendrix. Several yards out was a juvenile female Supersaurus. She had the same grey and red marking decorating her body like the other sauropods and was a little over the size of an adult Clydesdale horse. She was agitated and shifting from side to side to get away from her hidden source of her discomfort.

"Hendrix, who is that?" Hazel asked as the youngling sauropod berated the still obscured figure in front of her.

"That, Future Babe, is my lil' flower child, Woodstock. My pride and joy." Hendrix proclaimed. "And by the looks of things, my Baby girl is tangled up with the local heat."

Before the human girl could question what the sauropod meant by that, another young voice was heard in front of Woodstock.

"Look out Supersaurus! I'm gonna get ya!"

When Woodstock shifted to the side, Hazel and Flia saw an adorable juvenile Allosaurus jumping and nipping at the sauropod girl. The young theropod was practically an infant if it's small size was anything to go by; he barely reached Hazel waistline. His scales displayed a vibrant yellow and green striped motif, a partial camouflage perfect for an ambush hunter. His playful nature was causing the Supersaurus flower child to groan in displeasure and slight fear.

"DADDY, HELP ME!" Woodstock cried out to her father as she shifted away from the source of her annoyance, only to be intercepted by the Allosaurus again.

"Baby girl, what have I told you before? If some predatory skuzz is being a drag?" Hendrix wearily sighed as he left his rhetorical question open ended for his daughter to finish, having already reminded her multiple times in the past.

Woodstock turned her back to the overly playful predator, her tail swishing back and forth to gain momentum as she finished her father's personal quote he lived by. "Then I should send him packin'!"

With her tail swinging like a pendulum, the young Allosaurus was entranced by the herbivore's appendage. The lazy swishing tail turned lethal as Woodstock violently lashed out. Hendrix's daughter's whip-snapping appendage traveled at sonic-boom levels of speed at the end of her tail. Her whip-like tail made a resounding 'crack' as it made contact with the baby theropod's face. The Jurassic herbivore's natural weapon exploded against the infant carnivore's face; easily shattering his snout and lower portions of his jaw. The young Allosaur barely had enough time to yelp in pain from his broken jaw before he was sent flying. He landed a few yards away and ceased to move. Woodstock huffed as she made her way towards her father.

"Oh my God…" The human woman whispered as her eyes were still locked on the juvenile theropod's broken form.

Hazel was horrified at the sheer brutality that the young Supersaurus inflicted on the harmless baby carnivore. Flia looked as if she was going to throw up, for she too thought that the attack was unnecessary. Hendrix just nodded, proud that his youngling managed to take down one of the savage predators that hounded them.

"Most excellent Baby girl! You sure showed that skuzzy Allo a thing or two!" Hendrix bellowed out to his daughter with pride evident in his voice.

"Thanks Daddy!" Woodstock happily piped to her father.

'That poor Allosaurus! Is it dead? I don't see it moving!' Hazel internally screamed as she felt slight disgust that Hendrix encouraged this brutal behavior.

"Was that attack really necessary?!" Flia cried out to the leader Supersaurus. Hendrix merely raised an eye-ridge.

"If a skuzz bag predator is messin' with my lil' Woodstock, then they should be lucky it ain't me giving those monsters a pounding." The father sauropod rumbled threateningly, showing how serious he was in the safety of his little girl.

It was times like these that made Hazel cringe. She easily forgot that the Mesozoic denizens of the past did not have the same luxuries as the present had. In the wild, you had to be the meanest to get on top and survive. So Woodstock killing an infant before it could cause harm in the future was acceptable Hendrix's eyes. The leader Supersaurus calmed down and resumed his relaxed tone.

"Baby girl, these two righteous babes here are Hazel and Flia, they're soul mates or sumthin' like that. They traveled from the future." Hendrix introduced, completely missing the stutters and outrage from the two travelers. "Future Babe, Flyer Babe, meet my Baby girl, Woodstock."

The young Jurassic herbivore bounded up to the two visitors excitedly. "Woah dude! Are you guys really from the future? That's outta sight and totally bitchin' man!"

Hendrix scowled as he nudged his daughter with his foreleg, causing Woodstock to stumble a bit.

"Language Baby girl." Woodstock's father chastised.

"Sorry Ol' Man…" The young sauropod said downtrodden.

Before Hazel and Flia could continue their conversation, one of Hendrix's herd members made a warning groan and proceed to lumber away from the water-hole. This was followed by the primal roar of a predator; it's call being heard throughout the area. The other residents of the water-hole moved away as well, particularly away from the Allosaur's prone form.

"Uh oh. Looks like the 'Boss Bitch' is comin' down from her castle to find her skuzzy spawn." Hendrix shifted his sights downward to Hazel and Flia. "You chicks might wanna book before she gets here. Come on Baby girl, let's cut out." The father Supersaurus nudged his daughter along to get away from the coming danger.

"Aw! I wanted to know more about the future!" The juvenile sauropod whined as her father prodded her along. Looking over her shoulder, Woodstock spoke out one last time to the Prehistoric Park explorers. "Later Hazel! Later Flia! If the skuzz of the water-hole doesn't pick you guys for some gut waddin', we should totally hook up later. See ya future ladies!"

As the water-hole residents moved a distance away from the area, Flia and Hazel were the only two creatures left at the drinking spot. Hazel snapped out of her stupor and immediately ran to assist the maimed juvenile Allosaurus. Just as she was a few feet away, Hazel felt the talons of her partner clamp on her backpack's shoulder straps. The young woman's feet swiftly left the ground as she was now dangling in Flia's grasp.

"FLIA! What are you doing!?"

"Saving your life Hazel!" The pterosaur yelled back as she flew further away from the Allosaur's inert body.

"But that little Allosaur is going to die if we don't do anything!" Hazel shrieked into the wind. "The wound that Hendrix's daughter inflicted could be fatal!"

"Yeah well, I don't think that youngling's mom is going to be in a listening mood." Flia said as she gestured behind her. Hazel twisted her body in Flia's talons and saw what had the flyer so worried.

Standing at 16-feet tall was a full grown adult Allosaurus female moving through the desert brush towards the watering hole. The Jurassic carnivore had a sandy yellow and rust-red color scheme that fitted the arid surroundings. She was currently swerving her head back and forth in search of something. Hazel could presume that this female was the juvenile's mother.

"Any-creature near the scene of a mutilated youngling and caught by the worried mother is just asking for trouble." Flia sagely remarked. "I can imagine that the results won't be pretty if you were anywhere near that youngling. Especially for a carnivore."

The human explorer sagged slightly in her friend's grasp. "But… we could help…"

"Not at the cost of your life Hazel." Flia swiftly responded. "Don't worry. I'm sure there will be other opportunities."

The girl took in a sharp breath before gazing back at where the fallen infant predator was. Like before, the creature lay inert, unmoving. A puddle of blood formed around the youngling's head at a gradual pace. Hazel feared that it may now be too late to save the poor thing, as it may have already died from blood loss and its injury.

The appearance of the large female Allosaurus walking out of the arid vegetation made the blood in the girl's body run cold. Flia's warning of being caught by a ferocious mother with an injured infant once again returned to her thoughts. Had the Pteranodon not taken her away from there in time, she would have surely faced her doom, even with her ability of Prehistoric Speak.

Hazel could do nothing but watch the forms of the adult and infant predators become obscured from increasing distance and the raised elevations.

"I'm so sorry…" she tearfully whispered in the winds. Hazel shut her eyes tight, wanting to burn that horrible image of death from her mind.

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Pain. That was all he could feel as he lay on the desert soil. The rocks that baked under the unrelenting sun stung the gaping wound he had received just moments before. The best way to describe the type of agony he was in would be getting bitten on the face by millions of fire ants, except on broken skin. The youngling could barely move his head, but only by the slightest bit. Lifting his head up only caused his newly shattered lower jaw to dangle like a vine on a tree.

Not only was he in so much suffering, but his keen senses caught another familiar scent in the air. The undisputable metallic and rusty scent of an animal's blood was what he smelled. There was a lot of it, meaning the animal was bleeding profusely. His heart skipped a beat when he opened his eyes, just to see the blood he was smelling was his own.

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps rumbled to his ears. The ground shook a little, indicating the arrival of a larger creature. But was it friend or foe? The Allosaurus may be a youngling, but even he knew that predators would be attracted to a fresh kill by the scent of blood. The child lay still and breathed sporadically, fearing that a larger predator was coming to eat him.

His heart relaxed when the figure of another of his species loomed over him. The creature looked much like him, save for the sandy hide color and the different markings on her face. The scent he picked up was that of his own kind, and this one he knew all too well. It was his mother.

"Mommy... help... please…" he begged to his parent for any form of salvation in a lisp. His new injury prevented him from speaking properly. It was as if he were speaking in a different tongue that only he could understand. But that did not matter; he needed his mother's help.

If there was one creature that could help him in any way, it was his mother. She gave him protection the moment he hatched out of his egg, and food to nourish him as he grew up. He eagerly waited for her to answer, or even to get into action to help him.

Unfortunately, he did not receive any form of support from her. When he lifted his head up to look at her, she merely backed away and gasped. The sight of his dangling lower jaw frightened his mother. He did his best to ignore the stinging agony that shot up his head when he moved by shutting his eyes tightly for a moment, but that was nothing compared to what was coming next. The youngling could only watch in horror as his mother took a few steps back from him.

"Mommy?" he called for her. Tears began to sting his eyes as he finally found that he would not get the help he needed. Things only got worse when he heard something that his mother would never say to him.

"Child, if there is one thing you should know, it is life is cruel and will not spare any creature," she told him, eyeing his hanging lower jaw. "Especially with injuries like yours."

The look she gave him was not that of a caring, protective mother. Instead, it was that of a giant peering down on an inferior, something she would give to any other creature that was not her own kind. "Your ailment is weakness. And I will not dote on you and tolerate a cripple. 'The Weak die, The Strong survive.' That is the Law of the Salt Plains. If you want to overcome your feebleness, then my final lesson to you, broken jawed child, is to survive."

The child's heart sunk, and his tears fell like a waterfall. His only form of protection and source of love turned her back and walked away from him. He was being left alone to survive...or to die. Worse yet was he had no knowledge on how to hunt, or what kind of dangers to look out for. He had no way to tell which creatures were friend or foe, or even how to find water. And with his new handicap...he had no idea how to defend himself.

"Mommy?" he croaked at the receding form of his mother. If she heard him, she gave back no answer.

"Mommy!?" once again, he called, this time louder.

No answer. The female predator reached the edge of the nearby vegetation and plowed through. Her whole body disappeared from view within a matter of moments.

"Please come back! MOMMY!"

Moments silence passed. No movement of the bushes and not even the sounds of any nearby herbivores could relieve the youngling of his suffering. As he gazed around, he found that all of the creatures in the area had left the vicinity. Not even a faint roar from miles around sounded. He was all alone.

It was at that moment something within him snapped. For the first time in his life, he had no one else to rely on. No one was there to help him. No longer did he see the world as a plaything for his form of recreation. Now, he saw the world as an enemy that could kill him without a thought.

His mother's final words stung his heart like the claw of a vicious predator. Survival was the only way to get by in the world...and to overcome his weakness. This new handicap was now a part of him, and he had to live with it for the rest of his days. If he was to survive, he needed to be strong.

The youngling gazed over at the side, over at his own shadow. His jaw hung below like a sore thumb. His eyes became steely, and he uttered to the world his promise.

"If my mother cannot help me, then no one can," he uttered as he watched his own shadow follow his movements. His jaw moved like a swaying branch in the wind.

As the youngling looked around for any place away from the spot where he was abandoned, his eyes fell on a lone bare tree up on a hill. The vegetation barely had enough greenery to shield out the sun's rays fully, but it did provide enough shade from the heat. It was a considerable distance from the watering hole, but it did provide a good vantage point for any creature coming in for a drink.

Using whatever strength he had left, the predator slowly hoisted himself up, albeit shaky. Thankfully, that young Supersaurus did not take away his ability to walk. However, his head still hurt like hell. Slowly, but steadily, he made his way towards the hill.

His small journey felt like hours, but he finally made it. The hill was a bit steep for a youngling like him, but it was something he had to get used to. He was gasping for breath by the time he reached the top of the hill. As he set himself down under the shade of the tree, he gazed upon his hunting ground.

In the Jurassic carnivore's heart, he knew that hardships were coming his way. He would have to survive with the liability from his new handicap. He would not be able to eat properly for a long time. But the good news was that his new vantage point allowed him to gauge out prey to take down. He also noticed that the watering hole was surrounded by patches of greenery, most of which were a bit high or obscured for any other animal to investigate closely. The perfect places for an ambush.

He may be crippled now, but at least nature was giving him a chance to prove himself.

A warrior's journey had begun. But little did he know that many more surprises were coming his way. This was the beginning of a tale that would span even time.

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5 days earlier... Several miles north from the Watering Hole

 _Meat._

That was the word that struck the senses of another Jurassic carnivore. The scent was unmistakable. The metallic odor of blood coupled with bits of aged flesh were enough to send the predator's mind on high alert. Judging from the musty scent in the air, the prey must have been dead for quite some time. It was strong too, meaning that it was very close.

 _An easy catch..._

The female had been wandering this part of the desert for a couple days. Her name was Alyssa, and she was an Allosaurus. Many creatures in these lands feared her along with her kind. But unlike the Allosaurus in the southern regions, her hide was a dark grey with black vertical stripes along her back. The rounded bony crests above her eyes were a deep shade of red, indicating her sexual maturity.

In her lifetime, Alyssa had seen many creatures, but never before had she ventured to the southern plains before, as her mother taught her. She was told of another part of her species that she only knew of as the "yellow skins". The predator was taught to avoid them at all costs, for they were more savage and reckless in mind than her kind, the "grey skins". Her mother emphasized to her and her siblings to never venture to the south, for they would encounter them. For whatever reasons they were, she took them to heart.

One last step and she was finally at the edge of the loosely dense forest. Before her was a dirt covered spring, something rarely seen in these parts. Skeletons of dead dinosaurs littered the shores, their bones stripped of their meat from long ago. Even the remains of a dead herbivore lay just in the middle of the shore, no doubt it was trying to get a drink before it realized it was too late. Alyssa had never been here before, but she could not resist the scent of meat from an easy kill. Following her nose, she caught sight of what drew her in over at her left.

A carcass of a young Stegosaurus that was half buried in the mud at the shore. No doubt this creature died of exhaustion while it tried to escape from the earth's clutches. Her predatory mind told her that it must have accidentally wandered in to get a drink, only get itself stuck.

While she was taught in the past to never venture to springs like these, her hunger overwhelmed her sense of judgment. She had not eaten for days. Failed hunts had driven Alyssa to near insanity and resorted to finding easier prey to curb her hunger.

"At least it's better than nothing…" Alyssa told herself as she made her way towards the free carcass.

The trip to the large mound of meat went off without a problem. She did not get stuck as she had remained on the dry part of the shore. The rocks were not large enough to make her trip over. Better yet, there were no other predators to compete with. It was all hers.

At least, her trip there would have been perfect if some unknown voice had caused her to stop.

"Leave…" the voice, apparently an older male with a raspy tone told her. "Go away…"

Her predatory eyes brought her to an Allosaurus, apparently one that was her senior by many years, lying next to the dead Stegosaurus. From far away, she thought that was some large, abnormal growth from its leg. The stench of carrion filled the air, and the familiar smell of her own species mingled with it.

The male looked just like her, except there were a few differences that caught her off guard. His hide was not of the dark grey like hers, but rather a light earthen tan. At first, she feared it was a Yellow Skin, but after close investigation, she found it was just another of her kind that was covered in dried mud. This one had been trying to get his fill for the day, but had gotten stuck in the earth's clutches. Already, the male was reeking of the stench of decay, and by the looks of it, he had been there for many days. Starvation, dehydration, and exhaustion were taking its toll on him.

"Leave...if you value your life…" he coughed out before resting his head back in the mud. His eyes closed, never to open again. Every ounce of his strength was gone.

"Quiet. I'm hungry," Alyssa huffed and passed him by. Water splashed softly as her feet made contact with the warm, mud-filled puddles. "I haven't eaten in days. And besides…"

"No pool of death will stop me from getting what I need," she said when she stood before the corpse and tore away a large chunk of meat. Like butter, it came off without much obstruction. All she had to do was pull it away with her gifted primeval strength.

Alyssa swallowed her prize, gulping down the meaty sustenance. The hunger pangs in her stomach slightly ebbed away. The meat and blood were dry, not really satisfying her taste expectations, but she accepted the meal nonetheless. If she was going to ease her intense hunger, she would have to remain there for quite some time. At least, until she gets chased out by another predator.

Again, she gorged on the dry feast. This time, she attempted to go for a larger strip of meat. The Jurassic carnivore anchored her feet into the ground and pulled. The flesh did not budge though. Alyssa grabbed onto a larger portion of it again and heaved, this time using her powerful legs to step back to help her in the attempt. But as she struggled against sun-dried carcass, something caused her to stop.

Alyssa released the meat, only to peer over at her feet. While one seemed to be partially in a puddle, her other foot was submerged in the thick mud. The Allosaurus tried to get her buried foot out of the mud, only to find that it would not budge. Horror and dread flooded her mind as she realized what kind of predicament she got herself into.

"Oh no…" she gasped. Again, Alyssa tried to pull herself free. The movements of her other foot desperately stomped in the mud, creating frantic splashes. In the Allosaurus' desperate attempts to get herself out of the ensnaring mud hole, Alyssa accidentally worsened her situation. Her free foot had inadvertently ended up in another wet portion of mud that was just as bad as the other one. Both of the Allosaurus' feet were now firmly rooted in the muck, fastening Alyssa into the earth against her will.

"No no no no no NO!" Alyssa cried. The grey carnivore used her upper body strength to pull herself free, only to find that she was sinking deeper and deeper into the mud the more she struggled.

"Somebody! Anybody! Help me!" she hollered out, her voice drifted throughout the arid surroundings. She hoped that some creature, whether it was a member of her kind or not, would at least have the heart to get her out of this mess. It was a futile attempt, for not many predators venture to this part of the desert. And even they would most likely not want to help someone like her.

Alyssa kept calling out, only to be answered with silence to her plea.

"Please! I'm stuck! Someone get me out of here! I can't go out like this!"

Her eyes now stung. Tears fell down, dripping onto the patches of water. Her own drive to get food for herself had caused her to walk into a trap. And she ignored the warnings that old timer had given her. Alyssa's foolishness had driven her to her own doom.

She desperately searched around the shore for any nearby dry patches for her to try to get to. Unfortunately, the nearest spot of firm land was too far for her to reach. Even if she managed to get one of her feet out of the mud, it would only fall back into another portion of the death water. Alyssa could not find any means to aid herself, but as she looked around, she found something completely unexpected.

Another creature was hiding amongst the trees on one of the hills near the shore. Her keen predatory eyes discerned the being as one of her own kind. The figure was smaller than her, and the eye crests were a dull red, signifying immaturity. The broad musculature and musky scent the being was giving off indicated it to be a young male in his teens.

"You there! Please help me! I can't get out!" she pleaded to him.

The young male shifted in his position. He looked at her with wariness that could match that of a skittish herbivore. No reply escaped his maw. Even from Alyssa's trapped vantage point, she could see that he was making short breaths. Her better sense of judgement told her that he was nervous about approaching the stagnant pool.

"Please I'm begging you! I won't eat you, I just need someone to help me escape!" Alyssa sobbed, tears now streaming from her eyes at an even faster rate.

Finally, she got a reply. But it was something she did not want to see. The teenaged male shook his head fearfully and quickly turned for a hasty retreat. He was a youngster that had his whole life ahead of him, and risking his own neck to save a complete stranger was not on his list of priorities.

Her heart shattered into a million pieces as her only hope of escape disappeared into the jungle. Alyssa had known this would happen, her heart told her anyway. The world she lived in was cruel. To survive, one had to be strong. They had to observe their environment and quickly decipher their surroundings to make the right decisions to survive. The only thing that kept her alive was her instinct. Now, it was her instinct that drove her to her death.

Alyssa reared up her head to the sky, desperately screaming in the hope that anyone nearby would help free her from the muck...or swiftly end her to prevent suffering of a slow demise.

" **HELP ME!** "

 _Darksage: And cut! There we go, that's chapter 2._

 _Marc: Now, we know what you're thinking. This chapter is basically the sneak peek we showed you some time ago. Well, we made a few additions to it along with some edits._

 _Darksage: Don't worry guys. We know. We'll make up for it in Chapter 3._

 _Marc: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one_

 _Darksage: See ya!_


	3. Creeping Anxiety

Prehistoric Park

2:46 PM

While Hazel and Flia were dealing with the issue of escaping a prehistoric crime scene and from being blamed for the death of an innocent carnivorous youngling, things back at the park were going on as usual. Constructions of the various portions of the park from the last outbreak caused by Diablo, and indirectly Nero, were nearly finished. Staff members were working day and night on putting the finishing touches on the newly applied enclosure boundaries as well as any other buildings that were destroyed months ago. In addition, they were caring for the other Residents as well, like checking up on their health, bringing them food, and the such.

The Herd that lived in the Valley Plains were getting more and more accumulated into park life. Like before, herd members were free to roam around the area to get where they needed to go. As the days went by, the denizens from the Late Cretaceous were getting familiar with their new home. They were even interacting with the park staff where they would treat them as neighbors. Though most were still a bit leery about living in a valley with predators that had the capacity to eat them, especially since one of them was the very same predator that hunted them before.

But that didn't stop a few them from enjoying life, specifically to a certain _Iguanodon_ family. Naomi and Embo were among the first herd members to accept life in the 21st century. When they first arrived, they were cautious about the new time and worried about the dangers of living with predators in the same area. The primary reason for their worry was because of the livelihoods of their two adopted sons, Nolan and Rowyn. The couple lost their children from the previous migration, as they were stillborn, but volunteered to take in the orphans that Neera was looking after during that time. The boys already were already attached to the friends of the herd alphas, due to their constant visits, and happily accepted the idea. It was thanks to Hazel that they were introduced to the Resident predators, at least the mild-mannered ones, that their view on "Carnivores are evil/Herbivores are civilized" was drastically changed. Of course, there was that recent breakout from before that nearly changed their perspectives back to the former. That view was foiled when two certain predators came in to save the adopted twins from being mauled in the middle of a stampede of dinosaurs.

When Naomi and Embo first met the _Smilodons_ , Sabrina and César, they were wary of how they would act towards them. Their thoughts were mostly driven from the claws they sported and the two sizable canine teeth that protruded from their upper jaws. Naturally, they went on the defense in case they decided to attack. But unexpectedly, they were civilized too, specifically Sabrina. Sabrina was a mother who had lost a cub to starvation and was anxious about revealing her identity to her new cubs, Tai and Sable. Naomi instantly took sympathy to the predator, as she too had lost her own brood in the past. The couples connected over the weeks and became friends.

However, they weren't the only ones to have new friends. Tai and Sable accepted the _Iguanodon_ boys as their own friends, and they did in return, even though the young dinosaurs were leery about interacting with young predators from the start. Nolan and Rowyn had to be reassured a couple of times by their adopted parents that the Sabretooths meant no harm to them. It took some time, but they accepted them.

Today, the _Iguanodon_ family was visiting their friends at their enclosure, Big Cat Climb. The parents watched as the children played on the huge, recently constructed playground made for the cubs weeks ago. To any child, the playground would look like heaven. There were so many wooden structures for one to crawl through, climb on, balance on, jump off, and even slide down. Some structures were basically large wooden blocks for the cubs to climb on to get a better view of the enclosure. Others were just single logs built into two poles to serve as balance beams or rolling contraptions for them to run across while balancing. The main hub of the playground looked like something out of a Peter Pan story, where it looked like the Lost Boy's Hideout with the nets to climb upon, the rocks imbedded in the slanting planks to get to the top, one big and one small slide for the children to slide down on, and two huge rope swings connected to logs that bridged both sides of the playground. As an alternative way to get to the other end of the playground, the children could either use the rope bridge next to the log swings or zig zag through the dark tunnel at the very edge of the playground. It was every child's dream...but it could be a nightmare for inexperienced parents.

The faces of glee that they sported as they chased each other on the blocks, logs, steps, bridges, and log swings was a welcoming sight. Though the Cretaceous herbivores were still worried about the fear of their boys slipping on the logs and falling.

Naomi nearly gasped as her eldest almost lost his footing on one such log swing that connected both sides of the playground.

"Nolan! Be careful!" she warned, worriedly observing the youngling, as he was about to fall down at least ten feet to the ground.

Though it was a large playground and had its portions that looked risky for those who were not equipped for grasping, the Saber play area was built within an area with large, dense grass. The keepers who built the playground knew of the risks of the younglings playing there and placed large soft cushions all over the place. There were about twenty total in assorted colors and covered huge spaces in the play area. But if the cushions were not enough and someone did fall, they would have a soft bed of grass to land on, although they may walk away with a bruise or two.

Thankfully, the dark-skinned _Iguanodon_ youngster was able to regain his footing and make his way to the other side of the playground.

"Don't worry Mom! I'm fine!"

"Oh, please be more careful next time!" the female ornithopod pleaded.

"Relax Naomi," Sabrina purred, her silky voice easing the flustered female. "I've already told you. The keepers made this playground specifically for youngsters like them. They would never forget the possible dangers and have thus covered all the possibilities. I can assure you, your children are safe."

"Plus, I've seen those fuzz balls drop from those logs numerous times. They'd just get back up and shake it off like it was nothing," César added nonchalantly.

"Okay, but still, I can't help but worry…" Naomi sighed. Her mate nudged her on the cheek, causing her to look into the navy male's calm expression.

"Don't worry Naomi," Embo calmly told her. "The kids will be fine. Whatever they're doing now, they're just getting it out of their system. Just let them have their fun."

The female herbivore smiled and returned her mate's gesture. "Oh alright. I suppose I should ease up.

"You know, we should really thank those keepers for helping to set up this visit. Our boys were pretty excited to play with the cubs," the sapphire ornithopod commented, looking over at the saber felines with content.

"Actually, we should thank Marcus and Bob. They were the ones that relayed that information," his mate added.

César made a huge yawn, showing off his lethal canines that could impale prey with ease. He then laid on his stomach, his paws crossed over each other. "Hey even without letting any of the humans know, we wouldn't mind you guys visiting. I don't mind the company as long as no one eats at my napping spot."

His mate Sabrina shot him a glare, a low threatening growl emanating from her throat. The male tensed up and schooled himself.

"Erm...I mean you guys are welcome anytime!" the Miocene predator corrected himself.

The _Iguanodon_ couple snickered at the action. They were always amused by how the elder Saber female showed her dominance to her mate. Even though she was smaller in stature to the burly male, Sabrina was obviously the one in control of the relationship.

Moments passed and their attention returned to the children playing in the playground. This time, they were playing a game of tag, which the Saber kittens seemed to excel in. The little carnivores were very good at this game due to their natural speed and dexterity. Nolan and Rowyn had to up their game when running through the playground. If they were up at one of the towers, one of the kittens would easily scale up the side with just a couple leaps and grasping of their claws on surfaces. Sometimes the boys were able to get lucky and miss getting tagged by going into the tunnel that connected the playground.

"Hey get back here!" Tai, who was apparently it, called out as his paw barely missed the tail of one of the younglings into the tunnel. The cub then crawled in and started chasing after them. By the time the youngsters made it to the other side, they separated, forcing Tai to chase after them individually.

"Nah nah nah-nah nah!" Sable giggled, now climbing up one of the ramps to the middle penthouse. "You can't catch us!"

"Come on Tai!" Nolan added. He climbed up to the top penthouse and peered down at the mammal. "I thought you said you were going to become a top predator when you got older!"

"I AM! You're going to regret those words!" the male kitten took the challenge. He leaped to the steps leading to that side of the playground and traversed it.

Nolan gasped and went down the huge spiral slide next to him, laughing as he went down the human contraption. Right when he made it to the bottom, he accidentally ran into his brother Rowyn, causing him to stumble over and fall.

"Oops!" the lighter-toned dinosaur apologized and ran in the other direction. "Sorry Nolan!"

"Rowyn!" he was about to yell at him but then felt a thump behind him. The boy tensed up and turned around, surprised to see his chaser now inches behind him. Tai giggled and tapped his friend on his back before running after Rowyn.

"Tag! You're it!"

"HEY! I was caught off guard!"

"Sorry! That's how the game goes!" Tai laughed.

"Get back here! Rowyn! This is your fault!"

The adults giggled at the sight of the children as they played. It was times like these that uplifted their spirits. Even if they were in a time that was unknown to them, life still went on.

"I remember when I was a kid," Embo said with a sigh. "I'd always play hide and seek in the forests or go swimming in the lake. Pretty much everywhere was our playground as long as we didn't stray too far from the herd."

"Yeah, but you were the one that always got the both of us in trouble!" Naomi playfully retorted and gave him a hard nudge on the shoulder. The action made him yelp in surprise. "I still remember that time when you led me to the mud pools when we weren't supposed to go there. And what happened next? You pushed me in and I nearly got stuck!"

"Pushed you?" the dark blue male shot her a playful look. "More like you slipped and fell. And besides, you dragged me into it too. Also, there were times when you got us into trouble."

His mate cocked an eye ridge up inquisitively. "Oh? Name one."

"You ate all of the sweet leaves your brother spent a really long time picking."

She scoffed loudly, apparently offended by that statement. Naomi then snorted at him and reared her head back in an indignant fashion. "That was you. And you said you were going to taste them, not eat the whole thing. Plus, I did warn you that my parents were going to bring us near the waterfall for some flower treats. My brother knocked you out for the entire night just for that, but not before you told him that I was the one who convinced you."

"Hey come on! That was a onetime thing!" Embo tried to placate the situation.

"So, you do admit that it was your fault?"

"Er...um…" he stammered before groaning in defeat. "Guilty. And I suppose it was mostly me that got us into trouble. And you did teach me how to stay out of trouble."

Naomi smirked and nudged her mate lovingly. He returned the gesture and accepted his mate's embrace by craning his neck over hers. "I think I did pretty well at that."

"Well...I never expected any of you to get into trouble. I didn't imagine you both as troublemakers in fact," Sabrina commented, causing the _Iguanodon_ couple to cease their embrace to look over at the _Smilodon_ couple.

"We were kids," Embo defended, lifting a hoof up with a wave for a moment. "Now we're teaching our boys not to follow all that. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't have fun."

The female predator frowned, her expression visible past her enlarged fangs. "It's a shame though. I wish those two cubs would have the adventures you had."

Both dinosaurs looked at her in confusion. They found it strange that a mammal such as her would be unhappy about something. They were living in a place where they could live in peace and have all the food they could want. Though Sabrina did not reveal who the cubs' real parents were, she should be content about how they were living right now. What could make her so unhappy?

"What do you mean?" Naomi instigated, leaning her head closer to the smaller carnivore.

Sabrina looked over at the shimmering collar on her leg. Most of the Residents had a special collar on them that served as a handicap to prevent them from bypassing their enclosure boundaries. Anyone that does that would be met with an electrical shock through their bodies. It's not enough to kill them or hurt them, but it is enough to keep them from escaping. This was to prevent any breakouts such as the Park's first one from ever occurring. The second one that happened months ago only occurred because the security generator to _Carnotaurus_ Quarry was destroyed by another Resident, a member of the Valley Herd named Nero. Sabrina knew that the humans put them on the Residents as a security measure, and she understood that, but she could not help but feel trapped.

"I'm saying that those two didn't have the luxury we had when we were their age. We had wide-open spaces to roam and all the food we could chase. Though now we don't really need to work to hunt down our meals. Now...the only time they did get to run around was when we were involved in that last breakout," she explained sadly.

"What are you saying? Don't tell me that you don't appreciate the new life you have now," Embo inquired.

"No... it's not that. It's just...these collars are making things feel so...dull. Whenever César and I wake up, we'd be looking at wooden bars and the same old scenery. Before, every day was an adventure where we had no idea what was in store for us! But now, everything is so repetitive. We do nearly the same things every day, like sharpening our claws or spar with each other, and play with the cubs. I just feel...trapped here. And the collar isn't making things any better," the female tried to hide her emotional plight on her face as best as she could.

César let out a quick gruff, looking away from the sappy sight of his mate in a downplayed mood. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with her. I don't really have a lot of leg room to run around in."

"I see. Well, you know that the keepers put those collars on you as a safety measure," Naomi reminded them.

"For us or them?" the burly feline huffed. "Really, these guys should know that after the kindness they've shown us, we'd never attack them. Least they could do is let us out occasionally."

"And why don't you just tell them that? Nearly all the humans here have those Communicators and can understand you. Just let them know the problem and they'll find a way to fix it. Though sometimes I do find those collars to be a bit unnecessary."

"I do agree with what you are saying Naomi," Sabrina looked over at her friend with empathy. "But I feel that it shouldn't be just us the keepers should listen to. I have a feeling that everyone in the enclosures are feeling the same way. We were born with the freedom of the Wild, not in cages. We need room."

At that moment, Embo frowned as well. He looked up at the sky for a minute and thought of something that he had put off for quite a while. He voiced out his concern, and caused the smaller mammals to wonder about it.

"Hm... speaking of open spaces, usually around this time, we'd start migrating. The herd is getting pretty antsy right now."

Before the Herd came to Prehistoric Park, they had an internal schedule that would tell them when to start leaving for their other feeding grounds. They did not know why they had to move, and even if they did question it, no one could provide an exact answer. What they did know was that around this time, they had to keep going. They would usually get a feeling in their minds that they needed to go, like a little voice that guided them in their actions.

Except now, that voice remained silent. The couple noticed the effects of this odd occurrence in the form of various herd members getting anxious and worried about something they could not see.

"Migrating? To where? And how do you know?" Sabrina asked.

"We don't. At least, not really," Naomi shook her head doubtfully. "It's like, something inside of us says, 'It's time to go'. But lately, we haven't had any urges to travel for some reason. And our feeding grounds are located far away from here. However, considering this new time, I don't think it's there anymore."

César chuffed at that and lay his head on his top paw. "Sounds like you guys got problems too. Better let the keepers know about that. I bet Nigel and his pride can find a way to help you out. And maybe us too."

"Well we'd better let them know soon," the navy-blue male agreed. "Before things get worse."

The two couples returned their gazes back to the playing children. Though they were given a new life in this new century, they worried about the lives of the next generations. What kind of life would they have if all they would see are bars or kept inside by human contraptions that prevented them from freely roaming around. The children lacked the special collars that most of the Residents had, sparing them from the technological restraints in an enclosure. But their own prosperity is now in danger.

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Prehistoric Park Holding Pens...at the same time

If there was one word to describe the park in a Prehistoric Park staff member's perspective, it would not be the word "busy". That would be an understatement. A better option would be chaotic.

Staff members rushed back and forth passed the holding pens, getting the supplies needed for the new enclosure that would hold a 40-foot-long Jurassic carnivore. Bob was working overtime getting the fences prepped for the new arrival. Since this creature was a voracious carnivore, he did not want to take any chances with any flaws in the barriers. They did not want a recap of the last breakout. Suzanne was with Nigel at his den working on more research to determine the exact statistics on the _Allosaurus_. Marcus was adding in some minor adjustments to the stun guns for the staff that would allow them to adjust the frequency of the weapons and, at the same time, was finishing up with his task of creating more Communicators for the staff members.

In other words, it was hectic.

But with all of the activity going on at the park, it was a different story for a certain group of Residents over at the Primary Time Poles. This group consisted of an odd assortment of prehistoric creatures that one would not expect to find coexisting with each other. For one thing, their species were found in different continents, and the other would be they would be found in different time periods. Yet, they all came from the Late Cretaceous, 65 million years ago.

The misfit group consisted of an elderly _Brachiosaurus_ , a wizened _Styracosaurus_ , a panting Ankylosaur that sat patiently next to the ceratopsian, two lemurs, and two _Iguanodons_. Some time ago, the herd in the Valley Plains and the lemurs living in the forests bordering it were rescued from the meteor strike 65 million years ago thanks to Hazel and Nigel. The whole park was surprised to see these myriads of denizens from different times and countries living in the same place at the same time. Though they still found it odd and confounding, they did not really think anything of it after a certain amount of time. The questions they had only led to more questions and they eventually gave up.

If anyone came by this group, which some staff members did a few times, they would not be surprised at the strange gathering of different species. No, they would be wondering at why the blue-green _Iguanodon_ was pacing back and forth in front of the main Time Poles.

In fact, that was Marcus was thinking as he came upon them on his ATV.

The 26-year-old wondered as to why some of his new friends were waiting around at a place like this. Normally, the Residents would not wander through here unless they needed to get to a place with more food. Those with the Communicators had already told them not to venture here when someone was out for a mission. A safety measure was how they put it. So, it was no surprise that Marcus would be curious about what's going on.

"Um, what's going on here?" he called out to them.

The magenta-colored _Iguanodon_ over to his right was the first to glance back, and then was followed by the towering _Brachiosaurus_ , the old ceratopsian, the spiky Ankylosaur that let his tongue fall out like a dog's, and then the two lemurs who looked nearly identical to each other except that one had more white fur on her back than the other and looked younger. Her head and upper back had a small patch of brown and her eyes were of the brightest yellow. The other lemur, on the other hand, was older and had brown patches on his head, forearms and tail. In contrast to the younger female, his eyes were deep blue and had silvery-gray hair on parts of his body.

"Oh, hello Marcus," Eema, the _Styracosaurus_ , greeted. She gave him a hint of a smile but then receded back into a frown.

"Greetings, Marcus. How are you today?" Baylene, the towering sauropod, lowered her head until she met the man on the same level. She spoke in her eloquent, British-like accent.

"Um, fine? I was just headed over to where Bob was to check up on the new enclosure. Gotta make sure that the generator's working perfectly before our "new arrival" comes. But what's going on here? Why's Aladar pacing around like that?"

Plio, the female lemur in the middle, was the next to speak up. He looked down at her and noticed the same concerned expressions on the primate's face. "It's Hazel and Flia. Ever since they left for their rescue mission, he's been constantly worrying about them. We've tried tell him they were fine, but he wouldn't stop pacing."

"How long has he been doing this?"

"Since this morning," Neera told him sadly. "I've tried to talk him out of it, and it would work for a while. But then he would just get right back at it. I won't deny that I feel the same way, but this is getting crazy. He's barely eaten anything since our friends left on their mission and barely talked as well."

"Wow, I've never seen the guy this worried before. I always took him as the calm and collected type," Marcus commented, shocked at how a normally level-headed alpha was reacting to a normal circumstance like this.

"Son, if you keep pacing around like that, you're going to wear a hole in the ground," Yar, who had just returned his attention back to his adopted grandson, said forcefully.

"I'm sorry Yar. I can't help it," Aladar replied, who did not notice Marcus in the group at all.

Wanting to resolve this situation, the human cupped his hands together and called out to the _Iguanodon_ , causing him to stop his brisk walk.

"Yo, Aladar!"

The dinosaur looked over in that direction. He saw a Filipino man wearing a black T-shirt with the Avengers logo and blue denim jeans with rips on the knees. His shoes were dusty from the dirt accumulation in his shop and his belt was filled with all sorts of tools. "Hey Marcus, what's going on?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he slightly narrowed his eyes. "What's with all the pacing? I've never seen you like this."

Aladar sighed and approached the human. "Sorry. I'm just worried about Hazel and Flia. They're on their own in some unknown time without any support. And they're looking for a carnivore of all things. They might get trampled or even eaten by whatever they're bringing back and I'm not there to help them. They should have brought me along…"

"Aladar, I know you're worried about those girls, but I'm telling you, they're fine! They've got each other to look out for," Eema walked up to him with confidence on her features.

"Yeah but they're in the past, alone, with no one else to look after them," the ornithopod pointed out.

Baylene then approached him, lowering her head again so that she could meet him in the eye. "Aladar dear, Eema is right. We have known those two longer than you have. Well, Hazel was a couple of days more than you, but nevertheless, she can handle this sort of thing. Before she met any of us, she has been going through these travels with Nigel. I am worried about them too, but you must have faith that they are all right."

Marcus then stepped up. He placed a hand on the dinosaur's snout, giving him a gentle rub that he accepted. The strokes he was giving the alpha calmed his nerves. In addition, the words the engineer uttered eased his worries. "And I've known Hazel since she first started working here at the park. Sure, she and Nigel have gotten into some sticky situations before, but they always find a way to turn things around in their favor. But, to make you feel better, we've got ways of contacting them. Hazel's got her time phone that can bypass the millions of years' reception. We can just send a text or call her, but I doubt she'd want us to do that every day. If I can read her mind, it's that she wants to prove that she can handle this sort of thing herself. And she's got Flia with her too. If they need help, all they need to do is call or use those Time Poles to port back."

Even though he and the rest of the Herd and the lemurs had been in this time for several months, the idea that humans used something called technology to go about their daily lives was still confusing. Still, he trusted the humans here. They did save his life before, when he nearly died from the blazing winds created by the Fireball that destroyed their home in the distant past. His once pristine sea-colored scales on his back now had mottled, darkened patches as a reminder of his ordeal. In fact, the humans helped save everyone's lives too during that breakout some time ago, and gave them a home when they lost theirs.

Aladar sighed and smiled back at the human. "I guess so. I just wish they'd at least allow me to come along. They're out there by themselves, facing a different time without any other help."

"Don't worry Aladar. I'm sure they're doing just fine. But if you really are worried about them, try to be persuasive with them on why you should come along on their next trip," Neera said. Her approach made the male retreat from the human's touch. Aladar straightened back, only to look over at his mate. Her sweet, yellow eyes radiated compassion, faith, and love, the things that allowed him to return to his normal state.

"Alright," he gestured, nudging his mate on her cheek as a sign of affection. The female happily returned it and chuckled as he did. "I'll take your word for it."

"Good. Now that all's been said and done, you should probably get something to eat. I bet all that worrying worked up an appetite," Marcus suggested, now making his way back to his orange ATV.

"Yeah, I guess I should get something to eat. I'm sorry for worrying you all."

"Don't worry about it, son," Yar waved his hand dismissively.

"Now come on, let's get moving," the fuchsia female urged him onward with a nudge on the shoulder.

The alpha male immediately made his way back to the Herd Plains, with the rest of the group following him. Marcus watched as they left, leaving him alone at the main Time Poles. While he succeeded in calming one friend's nerves, he couldn't help but feel the same way. He'd known Hazel since she first arrived in the park. A small person like her out in a dangerous time with so many things that could kill her worried him. But, she did go to the past alone, and even survived countless dangers. This time shouldn't be different.

Marcus took out his phone. He gazed into the black touch screen, which reflected his own image back at him.

"You'd better be doing okay kid. Otherwise I'll have to convince Nigel to open a portal so I can fish you back out myself."

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Jurassic Period...145 million years ago

It's been two days since the incident at the Watering Hole, with not much luck with the two-time travelers.

Hazel had seen a lot of things during her travels. She escaped the planet's destruction, battled against numerous predators, avoided getting crushed from a cave roof collapsing on her, getting punched by a rogue _Iguanodon_ , and having her brain fried by electricity. But witnessing a baby _Allosaurus_ get slapped in the face by the equivalent of a bull whip was something she was having trouble getting over.

Since their departure, she and Flia had been flying further north from the Watering Hole. The original agenda was to get as far away from that area as they possibly could in fear of the mother _Allosaurus_ coming for them to seek revenge. Now they were following where herbivores liked to gather in hopes of finding that predator species again.

The landscape changed as they flew onward. The near barren desert they were introduced to in the beginning, with the sparse vegetation, rugged terrain, and small mountain ranges had turned into a more vegetative area. This part of the United States was still a desert environment, but to Hazel, it reminded her of when she and Nigel visited Mongolia. It was part forest and part desert. Patches of conifers, ferns, and other plants native to this period dotted the landscape. At the same time, there were still the remnants of the vast desert they left behind.

On their way north, they had encountered varied species of dinosaurs, most of which Hazel took a while to decipher due to how similar they looked to the first species they encountered. They encountered a couple herds of _Barosaurus_ , along with their larger cousins, _Seismosaurus_. They looked similar in stature to the famous _Diplodocus_ , as they were diplodocids too. However, the _Barosaurus_ were more of a greenish-yellow hue with black stripes along their back while the _Seismosaurus_ were a faint maroon with beige underbellies.

Like the _Supersaurus_ leader Hendrix and his daughter Woodstock, the _Barosaurus_ spoke in a 60's hippies accent. In contrast, the _Seismosaurus_ were more akin to their _Diplodocus_ cousins in terms of manners and dialect. These differences confounded Flia and Hazel, but they chose not to delve more into it as they were more concerned with the mission at hand. They inquired about any whereabouts of predators they encountered, but the only clue they got was a forest further north from where they were.

While they encountered large herbivores, they had their share of carnivore encounters. Earlier that morning, they barely escaped an ambush from a rawhide scaled _Marshosaurus_ while they were having their breakfast at a small creek. The human accidentally mistook it for an Allosaurus, but saw that it was much smaller and lither in stature. It also lacked the flat crests above its eyes, signaling that it was not the predator they were looking for.

Later on, they witnessed two separate hunting incidences by _Coelurus_ and _Tanycolagreus_ , both of which were in different regions. The grey, leopard-spotted Tanycolagreus was trying its luck against a smaller, chocolate-colored less armored ankylosaur known as a _Gargoyleosaurus_ within a group of large rock formations. The nodosaur lacked the spiky armor that Url had back in Prehistoric Park nor did it have the bony club at its tail, but it did have heavy plating on its back along with a couple of spikes along its sides to compensate. Flia was surprised to see a creature that looked like their heavily armored companion that always hung around his guardian, Eema the _Styracosaurus_. They stuck around to see the battle between the two, and were satisfied that the armored herbivore managed to drive out the annoying hunter.

The other predator they came across was a _Coelurus_. This time, the duo was in a more open terrain with patches of shrubs and ferns growing near a small forest. The _Coelurus_ looked similar to the _Tanycolagreus_ where it had leopard spots along its body, except its feathers were golden rather than grey. It also had black stripes along its tail, legs, arms and face. The only offshoot color characteristics were the undersides of its belly and much of its tail, which were white, and its feet were pitch black. Rather than hunting out in the open, the _Coelurus_ was meandering towards the forested area, prowling for prey that was grazing in the green sanctum.

The other new predator they saw was a lone _Stokesosaurus_ , which was taking a nap next to a half-eaten _Camptosaurus_ carcass; it's bloodied mouth and exposed ribs on the carcass were clear indications that it just had its meal. Hazel nearly mistook it for an oversized _Archaeopteryx_ , except that early bird did not look like a raptor nor did it have any wings made for flight or gliding. Well, the creature did have large feathers on its arms, but they were not large enough for flight. Though they could only see it from above, the duo could make out the baby blue feathers on its back.

But with all the new discoveries and places they were encountering, they did not find any sign of an _Allosaurus_. Their search was coming up fruitless.

It was already sunset by the time they reached the edge of a medium sized conifer forest. It was medium-sized, being only a few miles long, but from their vantage point, they could clearly make out a gap in the tree line a few hundred yards out. Something like that would normally mean there was a clearing or a pond of some sort. But considering that it was getting dark, exploration at this hour would be like playing a prehistoric version of Russian roulette.

The two scouts set up camp in a cave that was situated at the forest border. The cavern was within a cliff that a couple trees grew over and withstood its foundations for hundreds of years. The framework was solid, but the interior sloped in as one got deeper. The height of the cave was about ten feet, while the diameter was about the same. It was the perfect place to spend the night.

Hazel stared into the flames of the recently made campfire. She watched as the dancing fire tendrils waved and crackled, creating luminous images on the walls. The colors transitioned from red, to orange, to bright yellow, then back to red. The woman cringed; the colors reminded her of the dead _Allosaurus_ youngling.

Flia sat on the other side, gobbling down the last of the fish they collected earlier from a nearby river. While her hunger was satisfied, her friend had not eaten anything since they arrived. The pterosaur looked over at the lavender, oversized backpack that lay beside the kneeling human. While Flia didn't have much experience with human culture, she deduced that Hazel had enough food that would last her for a couple days. Yet the girl barely ate anything throughout the day.

"Another day in this land of giants, already done," Flia said, trying to break the silence.

The Asian sat there, silent and unmoving; completely oblivious to her friend's comment.

"You know, I may have spent time around creatures bigger than me, but the ones here are simply a sight to behold. We should have brought our friends along too, well, maybe not for a mission but maybe a little vacation. And probably in an area with little to no predators," the pterosaur said in a slightly more uplifting tone.

Still, no word came from the human's mouth.

Flia let out an exasperated sigh and slammed her wings on the ground, causing the girl to perk up in surprise. "Okay Hazel. This is getting out of wing. You've barely said anything since we left that Watering Hole."

"Flia, we could have saved that youngling!" Hazel blurted in anger. "We have the resources back at home that could help him!"

"I know that, but you heard what I said! That thing's mother was there! If we didn't retreat in time, she could have seen us and we'd be in bigger trouble!"

She looked away dejectedly. Of course, Flia was right. Had they stayed there any longer, the mother _Allosaurus_ would have gone after them in revenge for what happened to her child.

"And don't say that you could just convince her that we were just there and had nothing to do with her offspring getting hurt. I doubt an angry mother would be in any mood for a conversation."

Hazel sighed, regretfully accepting her friend's point. "We could have brought a whole family back…"

The pterosaur straightened, now putting on an air of confidence. Though she still felt disappointed that their chances of success slipped away, that did not stop her from giving up. "There are other opportunities. We just need to keep looking."

Moments of silence passed between the two. The only sounds that freely whispered in the cave was the crackling of the wood in the flames. The lavender pterosaur quickly preened her wings, checking for any parasites that she may have picked up during their trip through the Jurassic lands. Large flyers like her would sometimes get plagued by bloodsucking insects on their wings when going through long flights. Any abrasions on their wing membranes or insect bites would hinder their flight patterns or make themselves unappealing.

As the sky scout for the Valley Herd, Flia has to stay in top shape for any task given to her. Thankfully, she found her wings to be free of any parasites.

Unfortunately, poor Hazel was being tortured by mosquito bites on her arms and legs. She remembered to bring her insect repellent, but was too focused on her mental conflicts to even start reapplying the modern-day chemicals. Her arms and legs were beginning to show the signs of small, pink, inflated bumps. She did her best to keep herself from scratching, but sometimes, she gave in to the urge.

But her mindset was not focused on her general appearance now. Witnessing the baby _Allosaurus_ get brutalized by Woodstock's tail and the praise the young _Supersaurus_ got from her father made her think of the numerous times she encountered the "survival of the fittest" principle. Before Hazel came to Prehistoric Park, she took the idea as something that was part of the natural world; something that scientists used when studying how organisms lived. She did not think too much of it and thought it was a normal thing. Even when she visited the past with Nigel on their previous missions together, she did not pay too much mind as to how the animals reacted within that rule.

However, when she traveled back to the Late Cretaceous, 65 million years ago, and met the Herd that now lived in the Valley Plains in Prehistoric Park, her initial views on it being normal became averted. With the prototype communicator that Nigel gave her that time, she was able to connect with the creatures on an emotional level, including converse with them. Hazel saw herd members die from exhaustion, collapse from starvation or dehydration, and mourned for the loss of their loved ones; in short, the previously unintelligible dinosaurs became _humanized_ for the young adventurer. Hazel became against the rule of Darwinism, and it was solidified when her friends Eema, Baylene, and Url were about to be left behind to the Carnotaurs that were on their trail just so the herd could get ahead of them. Though she still considered it a normal thing in most instances, there were times that witnessing spectacles like those made her cringe a little.

"Flia?"

The _Pteranodon_ perked her head up, her preening now interrupted. "Yes, Hazel?"

"I know about the whole 'survival of the fittest' deal, where those who are weak will die while the strong live. I've dealt with it firsthand when I met you and the Herd. But...even after all this time, I'm still against it," Hazel said sadly.

Flia shook her wings and returned to her quadruped stance. "I understand. I've been raised by that notion all my life. I still feel that way even now. But after meeting you, Aladar, Plio and her family, along with everything we've been through, I'm starting to rethink about how things are run in life. And you know what? I kind of like this new perspective. We all help each other out, and it gives us a sense of belonging."

"Everyone in this world," the flyer continued, speaking with her own heart. "Regardless of what time they're in, has their own way of thinking. We just need to respect their beliefs. But it's not up to us to force them to change their ways. It's ultimately up to them. It's the same with predators. We can't change the way they think. They hunt out of instinct. Then there are creatures that share the same mentality as Hendrix and Woodstock. They live in a time where it's "kill or be killed" because they have no other alternative. They must do whatever it takes in order to survive. Though, I didn't like how Woodstock attacked that youngling, she did what she had to."

"I guess…" Hazel pouted. "Sometimes I wish everyone we meet would see things our way, but I know that's not the case."

"Well enough about that," Flia announced, pushing all thoughts of negativity behind for the future. "That's all in the past. The only thing we can do now is move forward. If we keep following along this-."

Just then, the human raised her hand up. Her eyes focused on her and then to the dry expanse outside. The setting sun painted the desert a brightly toned orange and tan. Her sad expression was replaced with curiosity.

"Hazel? What is it?" Flia inquired, looking at the vast desert beyond.

Out of the corner of her eye, the human ran for the outside. She stood a couple feet from the entrance into the cave. Her black hair waved slightly as small wisps of wind went past her form. The human then moved her head slightly to the right, as if she was listening for something in that direction.

"Hazel?" Flia called out, this time louder.

"Did you hear that?" she hollered back.

"Hear what?"

Right when both were about to reply to each other, something sounded in the air. It was faint, but it did have a distinct frequency to it. It wasn't deep like a roar, nor it was it high-pitched like a mouse squeaking. No, it was something in between. The sound they heard was like a cross between the two. The sound they were hearing on the wind was akin to screaming.

"There it is again!" Hazel turned around, her eyes now wide like marbles.

"Hazel, it could be just the wind," Flia told her, trying to rule out the worst possibility of a creature dying.

The human rushed back into the cave, determination now on her face. "A wind breeze can't scream or call for help. I'm going to check it out."

"Oh, no you don't! That could be just some poor creature being hunted down! If you go out there and find whatever that is, you'll be just like that poor hapless victim!" the _Pteranodon_ warned.

Hazel put her arms through the straps. The familiar weight of her oversized travel bag now weighing her down once more. She let out heaved breaths before shooting the pterosaur a mischievous grin. "Yeah...but we're here to look for a predator, right?"

Right when she said that, the human bolted for the outside and made a sharp right turn for one of the slopes that led into the forest. Disgruntled and frustrated, Flia bounded after her, as quickly as she could on her winged arms and small legs.

"Why did I get myself into this? HAZEL GET BACK HERE!"

Spreading her wings apart, the flyer took to the air, using the miniscule breeze that blew past her. The majestic pterosaur leaned to the right, angling her body to go into a circle. Once she was oriented in the direction of the woods, she dived towards the forest edge, where she saw the form of Hazel making her way towards.

Flia folded her wings, diving for the ambling form of the human. With the huge bag she now carried, her speed was hindered by a lot, moving no faster than a youngling _Iguanodon_ taking a quick jog in the morning.

Once she was at a considerable distance, the Cretaceous scout leaned back. Her wings now spread apart and her feet talons ready to grab at the sack on the human's back.

But her timing was off. Hazel managed to get into the forest right when Flia was inches from grabbing her bag. The pterosaur cried out in irritation and flapped her wings to get higher.

Soon, she was now above the tree line. From where she was at, Flia saw the gap in the forest again. Now that she was at a higher altitude, she made out the faint edges of something translucent. No doubt it was a lake or pond. It was the only clearing she could see within the forest, at least in her position. Hazel was heading towards that direction. If Flia could get to that clearing, she may be able to cut her off before she did anything drastic.

Her objective set, the crested flyer zoomed towards the open area of the darkening forest.

 _Darksage95: Whoa…things are starting to heat up!_

 _Marc Ello Re-Yes: Sagey, don't spoil it!_

 _Darksage95: I know! I'm not saying anything._

 _Marc Ello Re-Yes: We hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. We don't want to say anything, but let's just say things are about to get a bit interesting for our heroes._

 _Darksage95: Yup! Also, we've got a few things coming our way so we may be a bit delayed with the next chapter. But rest assured, we'll have it up soon._

 _Marc Ello Re-Yes: Thanks, and stay tuned! Oh also, please be sure to check out the TV Tropes nphillips0115 made for the series. We read them and they look great!_

 _Darksage95: I can't stop reading them. But yeah, peace out!_


	4. Hanging By a Thread

_Darksage: Sup ya'll! Darksage and Marc are back with another chapter to Prehistoric Revolution. Sorry about the long wait. It's been a busy month for us._

 _Marc: Like some of us just graduated *looks over at Darksage*. Congrats buddy!_

 _Darksage: Thanks! Anyway, due to this new development, there will be times where we may not be able to post chapters on time. We've got jobs and long hours are most likely upon us._

 _Marc: But don't worry, we're not giving on this series that easily._

 _Darksage: Also, we'd like to thank all the fans who have been supporting us. Without your support, this series wouldn't be what it is today._

 _Marc: Okay enough about that. On with the chapter!_

 _Darksage: Enjoy!_ _ **Disclaimer: We don't own Prehistoric Park or Disney's Dinosaur. Just the characters we created. All music presented in this series belong to their respective owners.**_

 _ **Soundtrack: Last of the Species by Daniel Pemberton/Rescue by Thunderstep Music**_

The first thing that hit Hazel once she got to the forest clearing was the smell. She wasn't much of a scent connoisseur, but if she could describe what she picked up, it would be a mixture of feces, sulfur, and rotting flesh all rolled into one. Sure, the young adult spent years living within a sanctuary filled with dinosaurs, mammals, huge bugs, oversized reptiles, and giant birds, meaning that she was surrounded by nature's scents; both pleasant and unpleasant. Hazel was used to this kind of thing. Heck, she even traveled with a huge herd of dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous for two weeks. But the smell she caught wind of was enough to make her gag.

"Oh God, that's gross!" she nearly retched.

It took a lot of willpower to resist the urge to vomit. But once she recovered, at least for the most part, she took in the sight of the new area. It was a pretty barren area, except that the rest of the conifer trees were surrounding it like a natural wall. The sandy slopes from the forest led down to a small pool in the middle of the clearing. Little vegetation grew around the pool. Rocks were spread around mindlessly. In addition, Hazel caught sight of the remains of a dinosaur skeleton off in one part of the shore.

But if there was one thing that really got the girl's attention, it was the half-buried theropod that partially lay in the mud. The predator was lying near a rotting _Stegosaurus_ carcass, and on it was a deteriorating corpse of another predator that looked like the one that was still breathing. The direction of the horrid stench clearly came from them, and the smell of fecal matter and sulfur came from around the small pond.

Hazel examined the carnivorous creature before her. Though it was mostly buried in the earth, she could tell that it was at least 35 feet long, perhaps even longer. The hide on the dinosaur was a slate gray with vertical black stripes along the ribs. The arms were long, ending in three clawed fingers, perfect for grabbing. Atop the predator's head were two red, distinct bony crests above the eyes.

The woman gasped. The dinosaur she was looking at had a striking resemblance to the creature from her guidebook; the creature that she chose to rescue.

It was an _Allosaurus_.

Not wanting to waste any more time gawking at it, Hazel rushed over to the barely living carnivore. The Prehistoric Park recruit took care not to step on the darkened muddy portions of the pond. Doing so would result in her meeting the same fate as the deceased Jurassic giants nearby. The large rocks on the shore did little to make her trip thanks to her cautious movements.

Finally, the girl stood there, mere feet from the Lion of the Jurassic. Her bag straps weighed heavily on her, and created skin abrasions from all the movements she was making during her trek to the pond. But her sore shoulders were the least of her worries at the moment.

"Hello…?" she greeted cautiously.

The creature gasped weakly and slowly heaved herself up from the mud. Those weary, yellow eyes blinked a couple of times as the vision became clear. When it did, the carnivore was still unsure if she was still hallucinating or not.

Standing on the shore was a most peculiar creature indeed. It was small, lacked any scales or a tail, had no sharp teeth or claws, and stood upright. The thing's feet were not three-toed, but rather single and pointed. The newcomer, apparently female, had a flattened face and strange, loose black plumage strands growing from her head that met at her neck. Looking closely at her hands, the carnivore saw that there were five fingers, rather than three. Adorning the odd being was an oddly shaped white leaf with hints of other colors around her, and perfectly fit on her body. The same was said for her legs, except it was a blue, rough-textured leaf that hugged her limbs. Only the bottom half of her legs and most of her arms were free of the coverings. The other thing that was strange was the armor the creature had on her back; it looked like a rock, except it was smoother and looked less durable, was flimsy, and was held aloft by two vines that wrapped around the girl's shoulders, which she held onto with her hands.

"H-Hello..." the distinctly female flesh-eater returned the greeting with a raspy tone. She then coughed a couple of times, making the human take a couple of steps back. "Are you… here to eat me?"

Hazel shook her head in strong disagreement. "No way! I'm not here to eat you! Dinosaurs aren't even part of my diet..."

"What...are you? Who are you?" the buried female inquired, using every ounce of her strength to keep herself awake.

"Name's Hazel. I'm a creature known as a human. And as you can probably tell, I'm not from around here. What about you? What's your name? And... Why are you stuck in the mud?"

"My name...is Alyssa. I came here for a meal...but through my own stupidity...I got myself stuck." the _Allosaurus_ wheezed then coughed loudly. "And now I _know_ I'm going crazy! _Heheheh…_ I'm talking to figments of my imagination~!"

Hazel was worried for the theropod's state of mind when she started to giggle feverishly. The human put a finger on her chin. She analyzed the texture of the mud, the distance of the pool, and the condition of the predator before her. All of which she took into account and started to create mental notes in her mind.

"Were you the one who was calling for help?"

The 40-foot giant gravely nodded.

"Alyssa, how long have you been stuck here?" Hazel inquired next.

"I-I don't know….I think… A few days?" she coughed again.

"Shit…" the girl cursed and shuddered. Normally, large animals can last without food or water from several days to a couple of weeks. But considering the unsanitary conditions of the lake, the rotten and decayed carcass, and staying in these disgusting conditions would make anything sick. A predator like _Allosaurus_ can scavenge and can eat the flesh from dead creatures, but staying rooted in a place like this, eating a diseased ridden corpse without having the proper nutrition, and drinking the possible bacteria-infested waters would lead to sickness and possible death.

Before Hazel was about to say anything else, a shadow quickly zoomed over them. Looking up, the land-based denizens made out the shape of a large winged creature with a crest on its head. The 25 foot long wingspan, purple colorations, as well as the long beak gave away the identity of a _Pteranodon_.

Alyssa gasped, apprehensive if this winged being that was larger than most of the pterosaurs she had seen. In contrast, the human before her made a quick facepalm.

They watched as the _Pteranodon_ circled above them, then gracefully landed a few feet to Hazel's right. Her face was etched with every inch of irritation.

"Hazel, what do you think you are doing!? You ran off on me, ignored my warnings, and went off alone into uncharted territory that could have been teeming with predators!" Flia ranted.

"I'm sorry, Flia! I couldn't ignore a cry for help!" Hazel defended, gesturing to the trapped _Allosaurus_.

Flia glanced up at the carnivore. The menacing jaws and the narrowing eyes put the graceful scout on edge. Her body shuddered as she gazed at the sharp claws on the arms and the teeth that could rip flesh easily. Just looking at the creature made Flia think about the images she saw in Hazel's complex leaf thing that she called a book. The grey skin, the red crests, and the black stripes on the ribs appeared in her mind as if she saw it yesterday.

"Hazel, is that a-" Flia stammered.

"Yup. She's an _Allosaurus_ ," Hazel simply replied.

The mature pterosaur then looked at the mud. She wondered why this carnivore appeared smaller than expected. Once she looked at the legs buried in the ground, she saw why. "I see...but you still ran off without my being there! You could have gotten yourself killed!" her features returned to a scolding manner.

"Well, I'm fine," the human groaned. Taking a moment to relax, Hazel did a quick introduction of Alyssa to Flia with a point of her thumb.

"Flia, this is Alyssa. She's been stuck in the mud for what I believe to be about a week. Alyssa, this is my friend Flia. She's a _Pteranodon_ and a good friend of mine."

"Flia… _right…_ Now I'm imagining giant flyers. _Wonderful_. Nice to me—" Alyssa coughed once more in a sporadic fashion. This round was worse than the last, as every cough was taking the breath out of her. By her tenth one, she was nearly out of breath.

"Nice to meet you…" she wheezed, now recovered from her horrid ordeal. "Even if you are a hallucination, I apologize for you meeting me like this. I'd rather you not see me in this pathetic state."

"Wait, if we did not meet like this, and you were in your top form," Flia inquired, prodding at the possibility of this creature being untrustworthy. Her eyes narrowed at the slightest hint of distrust she may give off. "Wouldn't you eat us without hesitation?"

The answer she received made caught her off guard.

"Why would I?" Alyssa replied. "I'm more curious to know about what you are. I have no idea whether you are dangerous or not. Even if I was not stuck here, I would dare not attack anything so alien until I knew what it was."

The scout relaxed, her fears now sated, at least for the moment. "Okay, I suppose we can trust you."

"Why have you come here?" the grey-skinned Jurassic carnivore questioned. "Have you come to refresh yourselves?"

Hazel immediately replied to that with a shake of her head. "No, we haven't. We were just passing by when we heard you calling for help. We couldn't ignore someone in dire need, so we came."

"Wait… REALLY!?" Alyssa jolted upright, the surprise of the moment shocking her enough to come back to reality. Her actions would have made her jump, but since she was implanted in the earth, all she could do was straighten her legs for a moment. "You two are real!? You came to help me!?"

Before Hazel could even answer, Flia pulled her aside with one wing. The human was forcefully turned around, now being forced to walk away from the stagnant pond. The pterosaur then shot the predator an apologetic look, along with a nervous smile.

"Erm, give us a moment. We uh...we need to discuss a few things. Gotta analyze the situation," was what she told the now confused _Allosaurus_.

The pterosaur pulled the girl aside until they were at the top of the slope leading into the woods. In Alyssa's perspective, they were no more than 25 feet away. They whispered to each other; her keen hearing could not pick up the slightest of sound from their moving mouths. She did, however, see them make rapid motions with their hands/wings. But judging from the irritated expressions from each of the girls, it looked like they were arguing over their decision on rescuing her from her fate.

Her hopes seemed to be failing, and her future started to look bleak once more.

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"I don't understand why you want to go through with this," Flia growled quietly, her anger starting to skyrocket.

"Flia, we've been searching for days. This is the chance we've been waiting for!" Hazel defended.

"I know that, but why can't we just go and find some other individual to rescue? As you can clearly see, she doesn't look like she'll last for another day, much less the night. It would be easier to find a healthier one of her kind," the _Pteranodon_ tried to dissuade the woman from even considering the sick _Allosaurus_ behind them. Her explanations were complete with head bobs toward the predator and narrowing of her eyes.

Hazel half sighed and half groaned. Honestly, why isn't her best friend getting the main point?

"Because if we do, not only would it take us another couple days to find another _Allosaurus_ , but we'd basically be leaving her to die! It would be wrong to leave her like this!"

Flia looked back at the female carnivore. She saw her sad eyes fill with tears and then look down at the solid ground. The tears fell onto the dirt, dampening the earth with miniscule puddles. The sorrow of the predator reached Flia's heart like an arrow. Hazel was right. They couldn't leave her like this, even though she was a dangerous predator. If they did, they would branded as heartless, and would live to regret it.

Sometimes, she hated when Hazel was right.

"Alright, fine," the scout surrendered, causing the Asian to smile. "But I hope you have a plan for this. Neither of us are exactly the strong type."

"Don't worry," Hazel replied, gesturing her friend to head on back to the pond with a gentle push of her hand on her back. "I've got an idea."

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The meeting really did not last long. In hindsight, it took about five minutes or so. But the short meeting wasn't the only thing that caught Alyssa off guard. If anything, it was the optimistic look that the human was giving her. The Pteranodon, on the other hand, gave her a look of indifference, but was more attentive to what the girl was about to say.

"Sorry about that. My partner and I were talking about how this situation was going to go," Hazel sugar-coated their semi-intense meeting.

Alyssa's eyes gasped quietly, her head rearing back in surprise. Tears once again fell down her cheeks. "So, you _are_ going to help me?"

"You bet we are," the human put her hands on her hips then shot her a smirk.

"Oh, thank the being Almighty!" the Allosaurus cried for joy. "You're saying that you're going to get me out of here?"

"Yes we are," the woman responded again, not annoyed by the redundancy of the question.

"Thank you. THANK YOU!" the _Allosaurus_ said with glee. However, her happy mood became deflated as another thought crossed her mind. "But wait, how are you going to get me out? I was stuck here struggling for days with all my strength to get free. You two don't look any stronger than me."

"Trust us, we're going to get you out. We just need to get a few friends to help us out."

The female predator looked all around the area. She saw no sign of any allies that came with these two strange creatures. Afterwards, she reared her head up to the sky, looking for any other large flying reptiles or even detecting the sounds of incoming strangers. The skies were clear of any newcomers, save for the small pterosaurs that were flying overhead towards another part of the forest.

Alyssa did not hear any sounds of incoming footsteps. Nothing large like a sauropod and nothing small like a fleet-footed ornithopod. There were no signs of any denizens coming into the clearing either.

All was silent.

"How are you going to get your friends to come here?" Alyssa questioned, her face filled with confusion. "I don't see or hear anyone coming towards us."

"Simple," Hazel giggled. She then reached into her right shorts pocket and quickly pulled out an odd, smooth purple rectangular rock. The surface was so clear that Alyssa could see her own reflection from the dark slate like a mirror. She stared into it, even sniffed at the object, but her mind could not make out what it was.

"I'm going to make a call."

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Prehistoric Park...at the same time

Looking upon the construction of the _Allosaurus_ enclosure, Nigel, Bob, and Marcus felt confident about this incoming Resident. The enclosure they were building was about as large as the twin _Tyrannosaurus rex_ enclosure, complete with ferns, cycads, ginkgoes, and conifers; all of which were shipped from the disclosed location of the S.A.G.E.S. base. The S.A.G.E.S., being the park's main contributor and one thing that was keeping the sanctuary going, other than the recent manure business the park established last year, also served as the main place where the sanctuary could get the supplies they needed, ranging from needed human commodities and Resident enclosure decor. The only thing was that the organization had no idea what kind of activities were going on in Prehistoric Park; in other words, they did not know that Nigel and the rest of the staff were rescuing prehistoric creatures from the get-go.

The organization allowed the zoologist Nigel Marven to establish a sanctuary where he could bring endangered animals into safety. They even allowed him to pick the name of the place, which they found Prehistoric Park to be odd but assumed that he wanted to keep his love of dinosaurs. Other than that, for some reason, they left the man to his devices and did little to question his actions as long as he kept to his contract; bringing numerous biodiversity in and preserving their integrity.

The only other thing that the S.A.G.E.S. were in the dark with were the Time Poles. That knowledge started between Nigel Marven and his associate, the late Jacob Veran, otherwise known as Hazel's father. Before the plans for a park sanctuary were created, he and Jacob created the Time Poles as a way to study prehistoric biodiversity. Together, they went through numerous trips, gathering as much information as they could and learning about the worlds that were subject to time.

Sometime later, plans for Prehistoric Park were undergoing finalization. But it was at that same time that Jacob Veran went missing. He went to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to go on a classified mission, but was caught up in a storm weeks after his departure. He was never seen since and presumed dead.

The loss of one of the Park's founders dealt a blow to Nigel, and to Hazel and her family. His death sparked the friction that now occurred between the girl and her core family, but it also lead her to where she was now. The woman now follows in her father's footsteps, as a future leader of the park.

"If only he were here to see this…" Nigel muttered to himself as he watched the last wooden barricade be hoisted up by ropes on the other side.

"What?" Bob Arthur, one of the park's senior keepers, glanced over at his colleague with a ponderous look.

"Oh, it's nothing," the man denied.

Nearby, Marcus Rey was looking over the internal systems on the security generator again. He may have already looked over the security generator two days ago for any wires, chips, or parts placed in incorrect places or checked to see if the security generator was working properly. However, that did not stop him from checking again. Because of last year's breakout, Marcus had been diligently looking over his gadgets to make sure they were all working properly...AND were also durable enough to survive attacks. He's made all of the security generators more durable by using tough materials and made different settings on the stun guns for extra security.

"I think...this thing's all ready to go!" Marcus announced, bringing his upper body out of the interior of the generator. His cheeks were covered with grease from working all day. His forehead was filled with sweat that ran down the sides of his face, dragging that black grease. His Captain America shirt was covered in dust from working in his workshop and going to the other enclosures. "Nothing's going to be breaking this baby. No more breakouts while Sergeant Rey is on watch."

"Thanks Marcus," Nigel told him with a wave.

"So, how big is this thing supposed to be again?" the engineer walked over to his superior, grabbing for a towel on a nearby worktable.

"Eh, about half the size of a rex in terms of height," the zoologist deduced, trying to remember the characteristics he had researched weeks ago. "But they're just about as long. Still big and dangerous though."

"Oh great, another huge carnivore that could see us as snacks," Marcus huffed, wiping his forehead with the pure white towel. His face now free of grease and sweat, he slung the towel over his shoulder and rolled his eyes at the possibility of another predator that could give them a hard time. "You guys better know of a way to teach this one some manners fast. I don't want to deal with another Diablo-wannabee."

"Nah, Diablo was just pissed," Bob told him, but still understood his plight. It was because of that raging dinosaur that he and the other staff members had to work overtime with repairing the damage around the park for months. "I don't think this one would have the same temperament he had."

"When do you think Hazel and Flia are coming back with that thing anyway?" Marcus inquired.

"I don't know," Nigel shrugged. "Could be days, weeks-"

Suddenly, his phone rang. The two other men slowly looked down at his right shorts pocket. The obnoxious ringtone that came from Jurassic Park 3 echoed from the recesses of the khaki shorts. Their eyes wide like the moon.

"Or it could be now…" the man stammered a little, quickly reaching for his phone. Once he brought it up, all of them could see the image of a well-dressed Hazel posing with Flia looking over her shoulder at the camera. Her outfit was the same outfit she wore when she and Flia left through the portal two days ago.

Nigel pressed the green phone button on the screen, instigating the call.

"Hello?"

" _Nigel! Thank goodness! I thought you were busy or something!"_

"No, I'm not. Just overseeing the construction of the new enclosure. What's going on?"

" _We found an Allosaurus."_

"WHAT!?" all three men blurted out. Normally, it would take days for anyone to find the creature they're looking for on a mission. But Hazel had found her target creature so quickly.

" _Whoa! Geez! That almost hurt my ears. Who's there with you?"_

"Sorry, Bob and Marcus are here too," the man reassured, quickly getting over the initial shock. "So you found an _Allosaurus_? Where? It is male or female? How old?"

They heard Hazel chuckle over the phone. _"Um, yes? A couple hundred miles north of where we first arrived. Female, and I'd say barely into her adulthood. I don't think she's fully grown. Then again...I can't really tell at the moment."_

"Really? Why not?" Bob spoke, now wanting to contribute into the conversation.

" _The Allosaurus here, Alyssa, well she's in trouble. She's been stuck in the mud that borders a stagnant pond for I'd say almost a week. The smell here is so terrible that I'm still resisting the urge to gag. The water looks contaminated, probably has some harmful bacteria in it. Definitely not safe for drinking. She looks malnourished too and she's been stuck near two carcasses for days. The air here smells like sulfur and feces, but I don't think it's carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide, otherwise Alyssa wouldn't have lasted this long."_

"How deep in is she?" Nigel inquired next, thinking of how bad the situation is.

" _The mud is up to her thighs. I would check how dry the mud is, but if I did, I'd be running the risk of getting stuck too._ "

"Oh this is bad...okay Hazel, listen to me carefully," the park creator told her with urgency. "I want you and Flia to stay with the _Allosaurus_. Don't leave her side, unless one of you is going out to get some food or water for her. If she has been in there for as long as you say she has been, then you need to keep her awake and alert. Don't let her fall asleep or else she might not have the strength to wake back up again. In the meantime, Bob, Marcus, and I will round up the needed supplies for the rescue. We've got a special tarp in the storehouse made for large marine mammal rescues, but it should work for a large carnosaur too. We've also got some chained harnesses that we can hook around her and attach to a large moving vehicle. We'll also gather a team of volunteers while we're at it."

"But Nigel," the elder keeper piped, sensing one problem in the situation. The man looked over at him curiously. "It's pretty much the end of the day. Everyone is clocking out at this time, including the rescue team. And even if they weren't, they could be anywhere in the park. We could radio them, but judging by how bad the situation is, it would probably take us more than an hour to get everything ready."

"What about one of the Residents?" the head park keeper suggested. "Martha, Yin, heck even Nero?"

"Last I saw Martha, she was over at the Valley Plains looking over Mikiya and her friends. She could be anywhere now. Yin may be anywhere in the park, probably snacking on one of our roofs. She'll be hard to find too. And Nero? Well, I doubt he'd be willing to help out a carnivore."

"Oh no…" Nigel frowned. "I don't think this Alyssa has that time. We need to get a team ready, and fast!"

"Um, I think I may know someone who can help," Marcus said, remembering something from a while ago that could help.

The two men looked over at him in wonder.

"You do?" the bald man eyed him, causing Marcus to straighten his features.

"Yeah. I saw our candidate pass my workshop about an hour ago. He was headed over to the eastern forest to get some dinner. By my count, I'd say he's still there."

"You sure?" Nigel tried to confirm.

"Yup. Poor guy's been a worrywart the past two days. Been staying near my place most of the day. I think he can handle this sort of thing. Plus, I did see a few other Residents go in that same direction that can help out. Some quick persuasion and we'll be ready to go within a few minutes," Marcus implied.

"Good!" the superior pointed at him quickly with a grin. "Have him and those other Residents meet us at the main Time Pole in less than an hour. Bob and I will get everything else ready."

"Roger that!" the engineer acknowledged. He ran over to his ATV that he parked next to the enclosure. Mounting it, he started it up with the turn of a key and zoomed off towards his workshop, leaving a trail of dust behind.

Nigel and Bob then looked back at the phone, the time reading 7:37 PM.

"Hazel, we'll have everything ready in under an hour. Once we do, we'll call you to open the portal for us," Nigel told her.

" _Got it! I'll see you then!"_

The woman ended the call, resulting in the screen to show a textbox with the call ending. It then went black, returning to standby mode.

Without a word, the men went to work, gathering the needed supplies for the rescue. Time was once again against them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Prehistoric Park eastern forest...about 25 minutes later

In one of the many areas that dotted Prehistoric Park was a lush forest filled to the brim with plentiful leaves, ferns, and other foliage that many herbivores loved. Amongst the green of the forest was a certain alpha male sea-blue ornithopod. Aladar was browsing the tasty ferns and low sprawling leaves for his dinner. He would have normally eaten with his family near where the rest of the Herd was, but his worry for his two Sky-Scouts over the last few days made him skip his regular eating habits. Neera and his family urged him to get himself something to eat to get his appetite back on track.

Just as Aladar found a particularly tasty looking shrub, his meal was interrupted.

"Aladar? ALADAR! Where you at buddy!?"

Charging towards the sea-blue male was Marcus on his 4-wheeled contraption. Before it looked like the engineer would collide with the sea-blue ornithopod, Marcus quickly swerved and drifted to a stop in front of the herd leader, kicking up a huge dust cloud into the air.

After coughing a bit, Aladar spoke up to the park engineer, "What do you need Marcus?"

"It's Hazel," the engineer called out, getting Aladar's immediate attention. "She needs help."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

En route to Prehistoric Park Holding Pens…

On the way to the Herd Grounds was the _Iguanodon_ couple, Naomi and Embo, trailing behind the bickering pair of Lethe the _Parasaurolophus_ and Sarge the _Pachyrhinosaurus._ The ceratopsian and hadrosaur were arguing for some unknown reason, their original argument spiraling into whatever the duo despised from the other. Naomi and Embo shared a silent chuckle with each other as they followed the contrasting friends. They knew that if the odd pair was biologically compatible, that they would have probably been mates sometime ago. The human saying "opposites attract" was an apt description of Sarge and Lethe.

"—And that's why saying 'excuse me' is a totally outrageous concept!" Sarge boisterously boasted, which emphasized with an extremely loud belch.

Lethe on the other hand, gritted her teeth at her crimson friend, "You vile slob! Against my better judgment, I allowed you to continue your flatulent impulses. The very LEAST you can do is to excuse yourself, you disgusting brute!"

Before Sarge could respond, his cocked his head to a new noise in the ambiance. "Hey… Do y'all hear that?"

"Gang way!"

At the sudden shout and a vehicular roar of a motor, the four members of the herd scattered to let through a speeding red and orange ATV. Following the hastily retreating contraption was the group's gawking and confused expressions.

"What in Gotama's tail was that!?" Sarge blurted out, still watching the human on the ATV and a familiar sea-blue dinosaur run alongside it.

"I think that was our leader and that Marcus human speeding off towards the other end of the valley," Lethe said, her eyes narrowing at the retreating duo.

The _Pachyrhinosaurus_ coughed, both to clear his airways and to show his apparent curiosity. "Now why would Aladar be in such a hurry to get there? Is there another breakout? If it's that nefarious Diablo again, I'm going to maul him so hard, he'll need to eat mashed meat!"

The _Parasaurolophus_ shook her head. "No, I don't think it's a breakout. We would have heard screams by now. Or that dolt Espantos would be running around like the inane creature he is, screaming his head off."

"Well whatever it is," Embo started following after the Herd leader in a run. "I say we investigate. If something is making Aladar this worried, the least we could do is offer to help!"

Naomi, who was worried about her mate and the duo that passed them, followed suit. Following close behind her like ducklings to their mother in a line were Lethe and Sarge.

It took several minutes to catch up to Aladar. By the time they did, they found themselves right in front of the Holding Pens. Various humans were scrambling around the top of the holding pens. The Herd may have only been there for at most a few months, but they got accustomed to the humans' schedules. They knew at this time they would be getting ready to rest for the night, but seeing a large number of them mill around the area at this hour was unusual.

Off to their right, they could see the veterinarian Suzanne McNabb, who was already dressed in her trademark lab coat, rushing towards one of the holding pens. In both of her hands were two small totes filled with various medical supplies. Following close behind her was her assistant Sarah, whose blonde hair waved freely as she ran passed. In her arms were two large totes with other supplies.

Nearby the holding pens were Nigel, Bob, and Marcus. They were hastily putting equipment into the trunk of a nearby jeep. The humans clamoring back and forth, giving each other orders, with Nigel being the most vocal.

"Bob, do you have that rescue tarp?" the man asked, hoisting a couple of large wooden planks into the jeep.

Said keeper ran up to him with a rolled-up, light blue thick cloth. The make of it had a shimmering sheen, almost like waxy paper. The material looked heavy too if it was making Bob heave out heavy gasps. Whatever it was, the thing had two chain handles at the top and the packed object was about ten feet in length, with the width of a log.

"Got it right here," Bob gasped, now out of breath as the tarp was pushed into the backseat of the jeep.

Near those men was Marcus, who was busy checking the inner compartments of the jeep, from the pipes in the underside, to the gas gauge, and the status of the tires. He rushed back and forth from the main complex building to the vehicle, bringing a couple of tools with him to get the human contraption ready for the ordeal ahead.

But it wasn't the bustling of the humans that the four dinosaurs were intrigued with. In fact, it was the lone _Iguanodon_ who was looking back and forth from the jeep to the deactivated time poles a couple meters away.

Seeing their objective, the dinosaurs ran up to Aladar, with Naomi being the first to get his attention.

"Aladar!" she called, skidding to a halt nearby him.

The Herd alpha snapped his head at them. His eyes widened as a few of his fellow herd members ran over and stopped in his presence. Their chests were rising and falling as they gasped in breaths from tailing after them.

"What are you guys doing here?" he inquired in a raised voice.

"We were going to ask you the same thing. What's going on? Why are Marcus, Nigel, and these humans in such a rush?" Naomi replied, watching the humans and then the herd leader.

"It's Hazel and Flia," Aladar started, causing the other dinosaurs to frown with concern. "Remember that they went off to another time on a rescue mission? Well they found what they're looking for."

While they did know of Hazel and Flia going back in time for a rescue, they did not know what they were going back for. They didn't really talk a lot of their mission's objective. What they did know was that the mission was going to be dangerous and that the time period they were going to was far before their own point in time.

"They did? That why all these humans are so slap-happy?" Sarge uttered in his usual gruff tone. He watched the humans mill about and compared them to ants scurrying on a hill.

"They surely don't look like it to me," Lethe pouted then returned her attention to her own group. "What exactly are they rescuing again?"

"They're rescuing a creature called an _Allosaurus_. From what Hazel told me before she and Flia left, it's some kind of large carnivore."

That last word made those around him gasp. They took two steps back, their minds spinning from the thought of a small human and a pterosaur going back to rescue something that could kill them.

"Wait! These guys are worried about rescuing something that could kill them?" the red-hued _Pachyrhinosaurus_ sputtered. "That's damn outrageous! Why would they risk their necks to save a villain that could stomp them like bugs?"

Aladar growled and snapped his head at his subordinate. The ceratopsian stood his ground, his expression indifferent. Sarge had been through a lot of rough situations and training from his father before him to know how to stand up to others. This sort of thing was nothing new, but Aladar giving him an angry expression was something uncommon from the herd leader.

"BECAUSE Sarge," he said the first word with emphasis. "This valley is open to all creatures, whether they be carnivore or not. It's their prerogative. And you've seen the carnivores here; not all of them are the monsters we make them out to be."

Said knob-nose scoffed, not believing anything that was given to him. "Well I still think that's a load of dung!"

"What kind of situation do Hazel and Flia need to rescue this _Allosaurus_ from?" the blue-green _Parasaurolophus_ next to the ceratopsian asked. Although she too felt against rescuing something so dangerous, she could not help but wonder what kind of situation the two scouts got themselves into.

"This _Allosaurus_ is trapped in some quicksand. If she isn't rescued now, she won't survive the night," Aladar said gravely. He did not know much about quicksand, mostly because he never went through it before, but he did know that it was dangerous due to some stories he heard from other Herd members. Previous individuals died in past migrations from getting stuck in quicksand and then sinking beneath the earth.

"Hmph," Lethe raised her head high in a prideful manner. "Well these humans are wasting their time. That predator is already a goner. If anyone is stuck in quicksand, then it's their own fault. Getting stuck is certain death."

The female cerulean _Iguanodon_ glared at her comrade and then turned her attention to the leading ornithopod. She did get stuck in a mud hole herself in the past and was lucky to escape with her life. "Well whether it's a waste of time or not, their cause is a noble one. I say we help!"

Except for Embo, who felt the same way as his mate, everyone around her showed some variation of shock. Both the teal vertical striped hadrosaur and the hefty crimson centrosaurine gasped with their mouths agape. The only one who showed slight surprise, but mostly relief was Aladar, who said nothing about the comment.

"Are you crazy!? You're willing to risk your life to save a carnivore!?" Sarge objected, taking a stance similar to how he would stand down a predator or a rival.

"Maybe I am crazy. But Embo and I have been in a similar situation before. We managed to survive out of sheer luck. This situation sounds much worse than our childhood mishap. I wouldn't want whoever this carnivore is to suffer that kind of fate," she explained, supporting the goal of Prehistoric Park AND out of sympathy for their mysterious client.

Embo nodded in agreement. "I agree. Carnivore or not, it's still a living being. To ignore someone in need is like being a villain unwillingly."

"Thanks. We need all the help we can get," Aladar smirked and nodded in gratitude.

"This has nothing to do with our livelihoods!" Lethe stomped her left forehoof. "Why are you going through with this?"

The alpha went in front of the group and then turned towards the stuck-up crested troubadour. His facial expressions changed from serious to slightly devious, as if he were in a bargaining game. "Well, think of it this way. If it was any one of us in that carnivore's place, what would you do? In fact, what would happen if it was your daughter?"

The female mother goose eyed him intensely, as if her very vision could melt down solid steel. She really hated it whenever her daughter was brought into a conversation regarding anyone else's safety. Especially when it came from the Herd leader's mouth. Charon was a careful girl, but sometimes she could be swayed into dangerous situations thanks to her more outgoing friends. Because of that, Charon has the potential to get into a lot of danger.

Naturally, Lethe was protective of her daughter. If she was in danger, she would do anything to save her life.

But the situation at hand had no connection to her family. This was a predator that was extremely sick and had little time left. Lethe may have an uneasy disposition to carnivores due to her natural fear of anything that could rend the flesh from her being, but after being in Prehistoric Park for some time, those walls are breaking down, albeit slowly.

Nonetheless, Aladar had a point. As always.

"I really hate it when you pull that sentimentality on me," she begrudgingly sighed, causing Aladar to smile in a childish manner.

"What the-?" Sarge sputtered, surprised to hear that from someone who was initially against rescuing a monster like an _Allosaurus_. "Lethe! Don't tell me you're going with them! You're going to certain death!"

The _Parasaurolophus_ eyed him defensively. Her strict features hiding her sympathy for the livelihood of her new client. "Don't think I'm coming because I care about rescuing a carnivore. I'm only going because someone needs to be there if any one of us gets stuck too."

"You're all crazy! There is no frigging way I'm going there to rescue a carnivore! That'll go against my reputation!" the red _Pachyrhinosaurus_ retorted. Everyone in the group eyed him in all seriousness.

"We didn't ask you to come with us," the blue-green alpha mentioned. "And what reputation? I didn't know you had one to begin with."

"Also, aren't you friends with Irwin? He's a carnivore," Naomi brought up.

"He's an acquaintance!" Sarge defended immediately, hiding his inner friendly demeanor towards the crocodilian. True, he's getting soft towards the _Deinosuchus_ , but he still refuses to let his guard down around any carnivore, whether they were friendly or not. "He's someone who's gone back on nature's law! But I'm keeping a close eye on him…he may revert back at any moment!"

"What about Espantos?" Embo went next, thinking of the hyper-carnivore that had the mindset of a child.

"That birdbrain?" he sputtered, still defending his beliefs. "Pssh, we're not friends. He may be three times the size of a raptor, but he's got the brain of a kid! That featherhead has potential to be as dangerous as a whole pack of those suckers!"

Aladar shook his head, hiding his amusement at his comrade's defensive manner. "Come on Sarge. Don't be such a stick in the mud. While we're not asking you to come along, we would appreciate your help."

"Wh-what!? Didn't you hear what I just said!?"

"Okay, how about this? You don't have to participate fully in the rescue. We'll handle that. I don't know what kind of place we'll be going to, but we're going to need someone to play security. There may be predators crawling around the place and we'll be too busy with the rescue to defend each other," the navy-colored _Iguanodon_ suggested.

If anyone knew Sarge for a long time, they would know that he couldn't resist the opportunity to kick some tail. His battle-hungry mind was always active, up to the point where he sometimes viewed anything new as a potential threat.

"If you think that I'm going to-" he tried to say but was then interrupted by his hadrosaur companion. Her eyes twinkled with smugness and she leaned in a little close, almost too close to his space. Her near-flattened snout nearly touched his bumpy bony nose.

"Sarge. I wouldn't push your luck on defending your beliefs. You know this is something you can't win. You can choose to back out, but if you do, know that you'll be missing out on some action. When was the last time you sparred with anyone in the herd? In fact, when was the last time you trained with your son?"

"I…You…Maker-dammit! Fine! I'll go! But only because I need to make up for my lack of battle training!" the ceratopsian warrior finally relented. Defeat was clear on his features. He was someone that would not give up without a fight, whether it was mentally or physically. However, this was a rare moment to them. Normally he'd just walk away in a huff and say he'd stick to his beliefs. But this moment, everyone around him had a point.

"Thanks Sarge. We really appreciate the help," Aladar acknowledged, happy to hear that he was coming along too. Everyone else was satisfied as well, either nodding or nudging the grumbling warrior with appreciation.

Right when that was settled, Marcus drove over to the group of dinosaurs on the now filled-to-the-brim jeep. His jeans and T-shirt were already ridden with sweat and dust. There were so many human supplies that the entire vehicle was being taken up. Board planks were sticking out of the backseat, the trunk had to be tied up by black, stretchable cords, and the passenger seat contained some immediate medical supplies if anyone else got hurt.

"Okay. Everything's packed up," he told Aladar, but was then caught off guard when he noticed that the alpha wasn't alone.

"Good," the _Iguanodon_ commented. "Um, Marcus? We've been talking while you were getting ready, and these guys want to come along too."

"Sweet! Awesome!" Marcus clapped, showing a slight bit of appreciation. "Some extra horsepower will make this rescue go a lot more smoothly. Er…I mean dino-power."

"Well not me!" Sarge protested, taking a few steps back. "I'm not getting anywhere near that predator!"

"He's our guard," Aladar filled Marcus in on the update, thus nullifying any confusion on the ceratopsian's behavior. "He'll be making sure that no other predators get near us while we help Hazel and Flia on the rescue."

The man let out a long whistle. His confusion was now off of his mind. "Okay...Guard-dog. Got it. While he's at that, the rest of us will work to get the Allosaurus out of the mud. That girl's been stuck in the mud for almost a week and is really sick. We got to work quickly before nightfall. Judging by Hazel's description of her, she won't make it to morning unless she gets medical attention. So we need to work fast. Are we clear?"

"Yeah," Aladar confirmed.

"Yes," Naomi followed with a nod.

"Affirmative," Embo went next.

"Understood," said Lethe, who stood tall to show her undisputed attention on the matter.

The only one who did not show any sign of confirmation was Sarge. The warrior remained silent, trying to show that he wasn't listening. All eyes fell on him as they expected an answer.

"Ahem," the larger hadrosaur next to him loudly coughed, causing the gruff individual to sputter.

"Gr…you think I'm going to be taking orders from you?" he glared at the smaller human.

Marcus took a step back and lifted his hands up in an apologetic manner.

"SARGE!" the other dinosaurs around him yelled. The warrior let out a cry of frustration and relented once more.

"Fine! Yes sir!"

Right when he said that, the portal a few meters from them flared to life. The familiar shape of the translucent, wavy vortex remained stationary before them. The hum of the wormhole to the past rang in their ears.

"Well come on you numb-nuts! We're wasting daylight! Gotta get moving before our friends are dinner!" Sarge hollered, running towards the portal.

Everyone followed after him, prepared to embark on their first ever rescue mission in Prehistoric Park.


	5. PvP

**Darksage: And now…for the moment you have been waiting for…**

 **Marcello: Chapter 5 of Prehistoric Revolution! We'd like to call this one…PvP. It stands for Predator vs Prey.**

 **Darksage: Just want to let you guys know that we don't own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, Walking with Dinosaurs, or Dinosaur Revolution. We also don't own any music pertaining to the chapters. All of these belong to their respective owners.**

 **Marcello: Now without further ado, let's get this show on the road!**

 _ **Soundtrack: The Final Battle by blacksheep806**_

Hazel was prepared for a large group of park rescuers to come crashing through the time vortex. She was ready for at least a couple of jeeps to come in chock full of rescue supplies made for getting an animal out of quicksand. On top of that, she was expecting to see Nigel heading that group.

Her mouth fell agape and her right eye twitched as she saw a bull _Pachyrhinosaurus_ with a red hide come crashing through like an angry rhino. It wasn't just her either. Flia, who was comforting a pseudo-hyperventilating Alyssa on the hopes of their friends coming on time, gasped when she saw the crimson warrior come barreling through the recently opened portal.

"Holy shit! Sarge!?" she cried out, about ready to roll out of the way from his rampage.

Surprisingly, he skidded to a halt right before he could crash into her. His snout barely touched her face and all the dust he picked up floated in the air for a moment before dissipating.

"Evening little lady," he greeted quickly. "Glad to see you're not mush."

"What are you doing here!?" the human blurted out. She was about to continue on with speaking out all the questions in her mind when Sarge beat her to it.

"Oh you know. Just minding our own business when we heard an emergency popped up. Got the rundown on the situation and figured you needed a bodyguard," he told her in one breath. "Now where are the enemies?"

"The what? And who's 'we'? Who else is with you?" Hazel cocked her head to the side and squinted a little in confusion.

"Do what you need to do. I'm going to patrol," the ceratopsian dismissed her bewilderment and headed off towards the forest line to begin his part of the mission, all the while kicking some dust in the air.

As soon as he left, the portal that Hazel propped open earlier rippled to life once more. Instead of seeing a team of humans come through, a small group of ornithopods rushed out. Her skilled paleontological mind deduced them as three _Iguanodons_ and a _Parasaurolophus_. The hadrosaur, which she immediately saw as female due to the slender texture of its species, had a large tube sand-colored crest on the head and teal scales on her body along with a teal skin flap below the crest. The only exceptions were along her back in the form of stripes and her underbelly, which were sandy-hued just like the crest. One of the _Iguanodons_ was female with a lightish-blue hide and small, yellow vertical stripes her the back along with a beige underbelly. The other two had thicker hides than the female, with one of them having a navy coloration and the other with scales the color of the see.

All of which she recognized instantly, especially the _Iguanodon_ with the blue-green colors and the green eyes.

Hazel watched as Naomi, Embo, and Lethe gave her a quick hello before moving over to Flia, who was still tending to the sickly Alyssa. Only Aladar remained, and soon, he was joined by a familiar human riding in a jeep, who skidded to a stop by curving to the side, thus kicking up some more dust.

"Aladar!? Marcus!?" Hazel coughed out some dust, but still showed her surprise at their appearance. "What are you guys doing here!?"

"We're here to help, of course," the Alpha leader told her, giving a quick glance at the trapped _Allosaurus_ in the mud bank and then back at her. "We heard you needed some help."

"Aladar and the rest of the guys here volunteered to help out in the rescue. Due to the time, the rescue team back at the park were already clocking out. Thankfully, he along with our buddies over there were still around," Marcus said, gesturing to the three ornithopods at the lake shore and used his thumb to point at the _Pachyrhinosaurus_ marching around the forest edge nearby.

"Well are we glad to see you!" the girl smiled at them. "Alyssa's running out of time. I managed to gather up some large leaves from the forest to serve as platforming. You've got that rescue tarp Nigel talked about?"

The engineer once against used his thumb to point at the back of the jeep. "Sure do. And got a TON of wooden boards, some plastic tarps to act as platform support, a couple shovels, some hooked harnesses which I believe Nigel and Bob packed at the last minute after they saw Naomi and the others pop up, and then that one special mechanism that can remove water in vertical increments. Oh and a first aid kit at the behest of Suzanne in case any one of us gets hurt."

"Okay," Hazel nodded in understanding. "So here's what I got in mind…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While Hazel, Marcus, and Aladar were discussing the plans on how to go about the rescue mission, Flia was busy with introducing Alyssa to the _Iguanodon_ couple and the female _Parasaurolophus_ before them, along with answering any other questions the carnivore had about the newcomers. The poor _Allosaurus_ was so overcome by the shock of the time portal AND seeing these strange creatures come out of it that it took Flia quite some effort to calm her down. Thankfully, once Naomi, Embo, and Lethe arrived and introduced themselves, Alyssa immediately relaxed when she saw there were not dangerous.

"So...you're Lethe, Naomi, and Embo?" Alyssa reiterated the names of the dinosaurs before her, going from left to right in the line.

"That's right. And you must be Alyssa," Naomi replied.

"I'm not going crazy...am I?" the Allosaurus wheezed out, blinking and shaking her head to try to erase the "hallucinations" before her.

"No, we're real," Lethe said in her usual serious tone. The hadrosaur stared down at her like she would an ant, except the two were of nearly identical size. The other exception was that Alyssa was thigh deep in the mud, making her seem less menacing than she usually would. Although she was still feeling uneasy around this new carnivore, she could not help but feel the slightest bit of pity for her. "And we're here to help."

"I've never seen the likes of you before. What are you? Where did you come from?"

"Well," Naomi started, nudging her mate Embo in a flirtatious manner. She always did this to show that the two were together. "Embo and I are _Iguanodons_. Lethe is a _Parasaurolophus_. As for where we came from, are you referring to where, or in this case when, we were hatched or where we live now?"

Alyssa coughed sporadically, releasing bits of blood from her maw. The droplets landed a few inches from the herbivores, causing them to back off a little.

"Um...both?"

"We come from a place called Prehistoric Park, which is where we will take you once we get you out of there," Embo explained simply. "There, the humans will help you get you back into top form...assuming you won't eat any of us."

"Oh no…" the grey carnivore shook her head. "I would never hurt those who would help me. What is that place like?"

"Let me put it this way," Lethe went next, hoping that her explanation would cause the predator to not see everyone around as a meal. "Where we live, there is food aplenty. The humans will look after you, make sure you are healthy and happy. They will offer you a home, should you choose to live there. You will never go hungry, and...you won't have to worry about drinking water like this."

"That...sounds nice," Alyssa coughed and gave them a weak smile. "That sounds much better than scavenging for carrion."

The _Allosaurus_ was about to say more when she was interrupted by the approach of another _Iguanodon_ , a human inside a contraption the carnivore could not make heads or tails of, and the human woman she knew as Hazel. The small group stopped before them, either panting a little or giving them their undivided attention.

"Hey guys. Sorry for keeping you waiting. We were doing some planning," Hazel told everyone else. Then, catching a glimpse of Alyssa, she decided not to leave her hanging. Using her hands, she pointed to both Aladar and Marcus, who just turned off the jeep and got out to introduce himself/check out the pond for measurements, and introduced them.

"Oh yeah, Alyssa, this is Aladar and that's Marcus. They're a couple more friends of ours from home."

"He...hello," she weakly greeted, noting the slightly taller human and the sea-green _Iguanodon_.

"Pleasure to meet you," Aladar went next, acknowledging with a nod. "You must be Alyssa."

"That I am…"

"Don't worry," he smiled reassuringly. "We're going to get you out. Pretty soon, you'll be back on your feet."

Marcus then interrupted, whistling in a high then low tone. His face contorting into a disgusted expression. "But man...you really are thigh deep in there. And this lake smells worse than my brother's gym shoes."

"Anyway, we're wasting what little daylight we've got. So here's the plan," Hazel quickly changed the subject and focused back on her rescue troupe. "Since Sarge…"

She eyed Alyssa and gave her the quick introduction to the absent _Pachyrhinosaurus_. "Um...he's that red herbivore with the knob-nose that went barreling into the woods earlier."

The _Allosaurus_ nodded slightly, only barely keeping her head up due to the fatigue that's setting in. Hazel then looked back at her friends, resuming the explanation of the agenda.

"Since he's playing as bodyguard and patrolling the place to scare off any other predators from coming in or warning us of their presence, we'll be working on getting our poor friend out. Naomi, Flia, and Lethe will have the harnesses and will work to pull Alyssa out. Meanwhile, Aladar, Embo, Marcus, and myself will work on digging out some of the mud then help by pushing her out."

The engineer raised a hand up, attracting everyone's attention on the matter. "I think it'll be better if I help the girls with pulling her out on the jeep after I help with the digging. Going to need some extra manpower, you know."

"Okay fine, you do that. Everyone clear?" she asked everyone around her, minus Alyssa.

Her answer came in the form of nods and yeses.

"Great! Let's get to work!"

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Nightfall was coming upon them. The sun was already disappearing beneath the treeline. The once bright blue in the sky was now a dark orange, with the remainder of the sun's rays blasting through the clouds on the planet's tapestry. The day's heat was wearing away, making room for night's cool respite.

At least, if night was even considered secure at all. Time was now the enemy.

The group set out with the plan as soon as they finished their impromptu meeting. Hazel had already put the travel bag she had always been carrying near the passenger seat in the jeep; she didn't want the weight of the bag to slow her down. The only thing she did retrieve out of it was her dagger, which she strapped around her waist. She also removed Flia's saddle and threw it in the trunk to relieve some of the weight on her.

Marcus brought at least a dozen wooden boards with him to serve as a sort of platforming around the sickly Jurassic flesh-eater. Both he and Hazel had watched a video on Youtube during separate occasions, one was for curiosity and the other was at the behest of Nigel as rescue training, and knew about how to organize an escape from quicksand. Or in this case, a mud bank. Most of the boards were used to surround Alyssa, at least on both sides. They had to keep in mind of the _Stegosaurus_ carcass nearby. Because of the limited amount of space given between Alyssa and the corpse, only the humans could access that ten-foot space. Then the boards were covered by two large plastic tarps that were rolled up in the jeep's trunk. In addition, the gaps in between the boards and tarps were covered by the large leaves Hazel gathered before the cavalry's arrival.

This setup made for a perfect bridge from the shore to the sick predator. Due to the added support from the boards and the somewhat protective covering from the plastic tarps, Aladar and Embo were able to cross into the bank with ease. Both humans then followed, armed with two shovels and a special machine used to extract water in vertical columns. This battery-powered machine looked like a mix between a shopvac and a jackhammer, if the shopvac had a skinny pipe at the end of it with several holes to get the water out. As soon as they arrived at the mud bank, Marcus activated the machine and the lot started to dig.

The muddy, smelly water was leaking out of the pipes like a small sewage system. The sound it emitted was unlike anything the dinosaurs and pterosaur had ever heard before. It was like a million bees buzzing at the same time. The cry it created was deafening.

While the humans shoveled out the shifty and gritty slurry in large increments, Aladar and Embo were taking out large chunks with their front hooves. Their effort was causing debris to land onto the tarps, and sometimes small droplets landed onto the humans who were accidentally in the way, but getting dirty was the least of their worries.

This went on for several minutes.

As they worked on lessening the weight around Alyssa's legs, Naomi, Lethe, and Flia worked to keep her awake. They had to raise their voices a bit to overpower the human contraption working nearby, but even that was helping to keep Alyssa awake too. The latter already knew that if she fell asleep, the chances of her waking up were very slim. So they spoke to her about everything that's happened to them the past year and several months after, including their rescue from the Fireball that nearly killed them.

"It's intriguing that you escaped something so alien as a wall of fire that reached the sky. I have never heard of such a thing…" Alyssa commented.

"Yes, but if it were not for Hazel and her companion, Nigel, we would not be here to talk to you right now," Naomi mentioned.

"And you've braved crossing a place that is much worse than here during the 'dry days'. I'm impressed," she coughed about three times. "You and your kind are stronger than you appear…"

That one comment made the three females before her blush a little. Well, Lethe tried to hide her smug reaction as best as she could. True, they went through a very difficult time during that migration, but if it were not for their new leader Aladar, and the assistance of the human Hazel, they would not be there right now.

The next thing the _Allosaurus_ said somewhat caught the other females off guard. In fact, it sounded like a really odd question to ask at this time.

"Why are you helping me?"

The Cretaceous denizens looked at each other. At first, they were uneasy because they really did not know how to answer that, but the gesturing looks of each of them gave them some confidence on the matter.

"Well, like Hazel said," Flia started. "We just couldn't leave you like this. It wouldn't be right."

"What do you mean?" the helpless killer inquired once more. "I'm a creature that could kill you with one bite, or break your bones with my own sheer weight. Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," said Naomi, who stepped up with even more confidence than when they first met. "I was in a similar situation like this before. I survived out of sheer luck. Hearing about your crisis made me think back to that time. Getting trapped in something like this and slowly being deprived of the necessities is a cruel way to die. You may be a carnivore, but even you have a right to live."

Alyssa thought for a moment. These plant eaters were going out of their way to help her, a ruthless predator of this time, just because they could not stand to see someone like this. If she were not so inquisitive and merciful to these unknown visitors, she would have killed each and every one of them on the spot, just so she could have some fresh meat in her system. In fact, when she first met Hazel, she could have swallowed her in one gulp without a problem.

Yet she didn't. And it was a good thing too because now she was getting some much needed help.

"You...still haven't answered my question on what time you came from…" she coughed out violently then relaxed.

The female _Iguanodon's_ eyes went wide. She really was not the best one to answer that. All she could say was they were from a time much later that this one.

"Um...well...er…" she stammered.

"One moment," Lethe the _Parasaurolophus_ rolled her eyes then trumpeted her question towards the working individuals around them.

"Hazel!" she called, causing the human to quickly turn around, almost flinging some shoveled mud at them. "How far in the future did we come from? And I'm referring to the time you first found us."

"Um…" the human dressed in the white tank with multicolored diamond patterns and denim shorts looked up to the sky in a pondering gesture. Her mouth scrunched up into a pout. Once she got her answer, she replied accordingly. "From now at this time? I'd say about 80 million years for you guys."

"80 million!?" Alyssa gasped, her mouth falling agape.

"Well if this is the Late Jurassic, 145 million years before the 21st century, and you guys are from 65 million-"

"Okay thank you! That's all we needed!" Lethe cut her off. She silently told her with a wave of her hoof to resume. For as long as she knew Hazel, there were times when she tended to get a bit overboard with the intellectual stuff. The words she was blabbering on about "million years" and "centuries" were enough to make anyone's minds boggle. Well, at least those who were not adept in math.

"There you go," the crested hadrosaur said. "That answers your question."

"Ugh...this time stuff is giving me a headache…" the _Allosaurus_ groaned and rested her anterior onto the mud.

"Yeah, we know," Flia smirked and looked at the other girls for a moment. "We're still not too informed about it, but this kind of stuff is something you'll get used to."

They expected an answer from that. Unfortunately, they did not hear anything from the large carnivore. Her yellow steely eyes were closed, and her breathing became shallow. Her head lay flopped on the mud off to the side.

She looked like a recently dead corpse.

"Alyssa?" Naomi called, her facial expressions becoming worried.

"Alyssa!? Wake up!" Flia went next. The flyer ignored the possibility of getting stuck in the mud. The ground she stood on was gritty and moist, but thankfully, it wasn't enough to trap her in its clutches. She placed her winged hands on the predator's snout and started to shake it violently. The mud surrounding her moved from side to side, but there was still no response from the _Allosaurus_. "Don't sleep on us now!"

Lethe snapped her head at the four other individuals working around the near unconscious carnivore. All of them were still working diligently at digging most of the mud out. Although they were busy, Alyssa needed help at this time. She and Naomi could try to rouse her awake by using their bodies to lift her up, but that would mean having to go deeper into the mud bank, thus running the risk of getting trapped themselves.

"Someone!?" she cried, causing the two male _Iguanodons_ and the humans to eye her with confusion. "We need help! Alyssa's not waking up!"

Their faces became worried at the sudden predicament.

"Shit!" Hazel cursed, dropping her shovel flat onto the yellow plastic parchment.

"Hazel, there's an airhorn in the left compartment of the jeep!" Marcus told her with haste.

"Got it! You guys keep digging her out! I'll handle this!"

Aladar and his own team resumed with their part of the mission, even though they were worried about the condition of the one they were trying to save.

The woman traversed the makeshift bridge and made her way back to the human vehicle. Yanking the door open from the lever, she threw herself into the passenger seat and opened the front compartment.

Inside were a myriad of papers and some emergency equipment like a Swiss-army knife, a compass, a firestarter, and a whistle. However, the one thing she was focused on was the large white canister with the blue horn lying horizontal on the lid. Each jeep in Prehistoric Park had at least one or two airhorns in the compartments in case any crew member needed to attract help to their position or scare off predators. She remembered that one time she accompanied Nigel in prehistoric Mongolia when they rescued the _Therizinosaurus_ tribe and the _Protoceratops_ quadruplets over a year ago. He had used one of these to scare off a pack of _Velociraptors_ that were chasing him into a forest. Of course, she was safely watching the whole thing on a fallen log resting on a steep bluff so even if they spotted her, they wouldn't be able to get her that easily.

Of course, she was inexperienced back then and only came along with him to that time as part of his training regime. Now she was much more seasoned in dealing with dangerous situations, especially ones that involved lethal carnivores.

But this instance, she needed the airhorn to save someone else's life. Hazel took the airhorn, slammed both doors of the compartment and the jeep, then made her way to the near comatose _Allosaurus_.

"Get out of the way!" she yelled at them. The frantic female Cretaceous creatures backed away, allowing the human to do her job.

Hazel hopped over the semi-dry mud bank and carefully stepped over Alyssa's skull until she was at the base of her neck. She worried that her action may have caused some discomfort, but at this point, rousing the predator by any means necessary is much needed. She straddled her legs around the thick, coarse neck and started slapping the carnivore behind the eyes.

"Alyssa wake up! Don't you dare fall asleep on us!" she ordered, making she slaps more forceful.

The female grey flesh-eater groaned. Her eyes flickered for a bit before shutting completely. The back muscles of her face seemed to twitch a little at the sensation of the hand slaps.

"Urg…" Alyssa groaned. "Just...let me rest...for a bit."

"Oh no you don't! You fall asleep, you die!" Hazel screamed at her then aimed the airhorn at the carnivore's almost non-existent ear hole. "NOW WAKE UP!"

The woman pressed the square button at the top, the elevated switch was pushed down until a small click was heard. From the maw of the small human device came a noise that was much louder than the "aquatic jackhammer's" gurgled sound. It was a sound that neither prehistoric creature could even compare it too, but it could rival that of any roar a Herd member or any Resident would create. The sound was so loud that it was enough to not only rouse Alyssa from her near-slumber, but also jolt her.

The predator roared loudly and yanked her head back as she quickly stood up. Hazel was forcefully pushed off the _Allosaurus'_ back like an athlete in a rodeo who just got knocked off a bull. The force was so strong that she rolled down the back and landed on the edge blue plastic tarp on the left. The airhorn she hung onto was flung out of her hand, which landed with a splash in the middle of the stagnant pool.

Though her whole body was mere inches from being in contact with the disgusting water body, there was a low chance she wouldn't walk out of that unscathed. There may be sharp rocks on the bottom or a couple of hard spots on that part of the bank.

"Holy shit!" Marcus cried out, shocked to see her so close to the water's edge.

"Hazel, are you okay!?" Aladar went next.

"Say something!" Flia urged her human partner.

Thankfully, the downed human stirred. She slowly lifted her upper body up and looked upon them with a slightly annoyed face. A red oval mark was clear on her forehead, which would most likely become a bruise the next day.

"Ugh...I'm fine. I think…"

Alyssa turned around to look at the small human female. Though she was very sick and weak, she could not help but give her the extent of her irritation at the action that was done to her. The Jurassic theropod flashed her sharp teeth, and slobber rained down in droplets.

"What…" she wheezed out then coughed a little. "What did you do that for!? You could have...you could have taken away my hearing!"

"You were falling asleep! And if you fell asleep, you would probably never wake up! So if you want to live, you stay with us!"

The helpless carnivore fell silent. Her own exhaustion was starting to become her undoing. Hazel was right; if she fell asleep now, especially in this state, she would never see the sunrise again. Alyssa wanted to see the morning; she wanted to feel the sun's warm rays, smell the scent of fresh meat in the air, hear the wind as it wafted through her ears.

Time was now bearing its talons on them, ready to snuff out a life.

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At the same time...somewhere in the forest

Sarge was a soldier. A seasoned warrior, he knew everything about what to expect when on a reconnaissance mission; always pay attention to the surroundings, watch for any signs of movement, listen carefully for anything approaching, don't ignore even the slightest scent, ignore the needs of his own body, and not to overlook anything, even if it was as insignificant as a rock. He knew to be aware of anything and everything around him.

After all, it was his father who trained him how to be what he was now. His father was the best fighter in the whole Herd, and was second only to the Kron's predecessor. But one day, he lost his life to a large carnivore. Sarge was just a teenager when he heard the news. Since that day, he dedicated his life to standing out as the Herd's best fighter, and perhaps lead a defense force one day. But as soon as Kron took over leadership, he lost his chance. Bruton was already creating a team, one that did not include him. According to him when he tried to impress the former beta, he "had the potential, but lacked the smarts."

"Well, at least I don't have to deal with him," Sarge huffed. "Now someone around here appreciates my talents!"

Nowadays, he would spar with other members of the Herd to satisfy his constant urge to battle. Heck, even his son Tirech would bug him to have a quick battle on separate occasions. Sarge couldn't say no to him; he shared his dad's fighting spirit. The only way for him to heighten those skills would be through training. But he also had his friends, so Sarge only trained him during the early mornings so that he could have the rest of the day to do what he wanted.

"Hehe...that kid'll be a fine soldier one day. Just wish the rest of his siblings would share that kind of desire! Cute kids, but why'd they have to take after Misha!?"

Just then, the sound of a rock clattering down echoed over in the opposite direction. The ceratopsian immediately stopped and looked over at a large pile of boulders hiding behind a couple of pines. The ground was mostly dirt and rocks, meaning that anything walking through would have trouble with stealth, unless they were a carnivore that was skilled in this kind of thing. There were some fallen leaves from above, most of them brown and crunchy.

Sarge sniffed the air, trying to pick up the scent carnivores would normally give off. Whenever carnivores were nearby, including the carnivorous Residents back at home, they would usually have the faint scent of blood on them. Sometimes, they would have the smell of rotting corpses.

And that's just what he was smelling right now. It was faint, but it was coming from the direction of those pile of rocks.

"Something's there…" he muttered.

The _Pachyrhinosaurus_ stealthily made his way towards that small fortress. Slowly and stealthily, he approached. As he silently came to the large pile of boulders, he made sure not to step on any fallen leaves or large rocks; he didn't want to give his position away to any enemy. The ceratopsian lowered his head, positioning those spiked horns at the top of his frill like a spear.

He charged, making his way to the part of the rocks where he would see the enemy hiding behind.

Sarge skidded to a stop, his body positioned at the side. But his guard was lowered when he saw that there was nothing was causing that rock to clatter had fled elsewhere.

"Huh...that's weird. Could have sworn I-"

A screech sounded from right next to him, and he watched as a jaw with sharp teeth came for his throat.

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About 15 minutes later...

Everything was prepared. Alyssa now wore the rescue tarp that was brought in from Prehistoric Park. Like a jacket, the tarp was able to be zipped up, leaving two harnesses that were parallel to each other. Because the tarp was designed for marine mammal rescues, it was large enough for fit most animal sizes, As such, the tarp fit snuggly around Alyssa's waist.

Naomi, Flia, and Lethe had harnesses around their bodies, which were attached by chains that hooked around the harnesses of Alyssa's rescue tarp. Their part of the plan would be to help by pulling the carnivore out. They would also be assisted by Marcus, who would be driving the jeep that now had a chain attached to the rear bumper's tow hook. Four chains clung onto Alyssa's straps like the wires of an electric pole. Due to the interference above her head, the female predator was forced to keep her head low to avoid having to deal with maneuvering around them.

As part of the plan, Aladar and Embo were in charge of pushing her out. They stood on both sides of Alyssa and would use their bodies to physically push her towards the shore. That video that Hazel and Marcus watched on separate occasions showed a couple of coast guard troopers pulling the show host out of the quicksand after digging out some of the mud and using that same quicksand mechanism. Because one group will be pulling the _Allosaurus_ out while the other will push her out, the rescue should go a lot more smoothly. Also, Aladar and Embo had those boards and tarps to stand on so they wouldn't have to worry about sinking, unless they accidentally stepped into a part of the mud that was still wet.

As for Hazel, she would help with pulling their client out with the chain that was attached to the jeep.

She looked around one last time, making sure that everything was in place. Seeing that there were no loose ends, she called out to them as loud as she could.

"Everything ready!?"

"All set!" Aladar told her.

"We're ready here too!" Flia spoke for her side of the team.

Marcus also whirled around in his sea and gave her a thumbs up. She acknowledged it with a nod.

"Okay! GO!"

The plan was put into action. The two male _Iguanodons_ began to push the sick _Allosaurus_ upward with all their strength. Their body weight and the amount of force the earth held onto her body caused them to sink lower into the mud. Already, the boards beneath them were snapping in two, and the tarps depressed, allowing water to leak from all sides. Both of them strained to push her upwards, while the other group did the same.

Lethe, Naomi, and Flia pulled with all their might to get Alyssa out. The two terrestrial females attempted to pull on her by walking towards the forest edge while the Pteranodon took to the skies, the chain that anchored her only allowed the flyer to reach a maximum of fifteen feet. Their strength was being put to the test as their body weights combined tugged the trapped female to the shore. The chains stretched taut and creaked as the mass of the heavyweights between both ends threatened to tear the metal links apart.

The Prehistoric Park jeep roared to life and reached a speed of sixty miles per hour in less than a minute. Hazel pulled on the chain, but her strength was nothing compared to how everyone else was doing. The vehicle behind her whirred on the terrain, kicking dust and pebbles in the air. It was a good thing she was near the shore not directly behind the jeep that was twenty feet away, otherwise she would be pelleted by those rocks like small bullets.

"Come on baby, COME ON" Marcus hissed under his breath as he slowly pressed the pedal closer to the floor of the jeep. He watched as the speed climbed up to 70, and then 80. The tires beneath him screeched like a banshee and more dust was thrown in the air.

As the _Allosaurus_ was being pushed upward and pulled towards shore, the suction the mud bank had on her legs started to give way. Inch by inch, Alyssa rose gradually. The mud created a disgusting squelching sound as she rose higher and higher. A smile creased on her face as she watched her whole body begin to escape the Earth's clutches. She couldn't help but utter a small laugh.

"It's working!" Aladar strained under the weight of the grey meat eater. "Keep it up!"

On and on, they worked at getting the carnivore out. The combined strength of the prehistoric creatures and the small jeep worked in tandem like a team. It did not take very long before her knees began to show just barely above the mud. From the thigh down, her legs were covered in mud and small grit.

"That's it guys!" Hazel cheered. Her arms were getting tired as she clung onto the chain. Her hands also strained from the force she was putting on the metal. "Just a little more!"

But just when things were starting to look up, Sarge came rushing towards them from the forest edge. The crimson _Pachyrhinosaurus_ casually made his way to the rescue site. Even though he made it to the group okay, Sarge had many fresh scratches and wounds that riddled his body. Some of his blood was dripping to the ground, but Sarge gave it no heed as he stopped next to his _Parasaurolophus_ friend.

"Huh, looks like you guys got everything under control." Sarge offhandedly said.

Hazel went bug-eyed, surprised at the ceratopsian's recent scars. "What the-!? Sarge!?"

"What are you doing here!?" Lethe exclaimed as she looked over her friend's condition. "You're supposed to be guarding the perimeter, you oaf!"

"Yeah, but can't I take a little break before I get back to work? Besides, I wanted to see how you guys were doing." Sarge grunted before he shook off his concerned friend, "Get off me, I'm fine!"

Prehistoric Park's engineer came forward, even though perturbed about the battle scarred _Pachyrhinosaurus_ casualness, but figured the red ceratopsian was fine. "Well, as you can see, we're still trying to get this girl out of the mud before the next day. The gas tank in this jeep is nearly half-depleted, but at the rate we're going, I'd say we'll make it in time."

"Good, the faster you get her out, the better." While Sarge was confused about the specifics of jeep maintenance, he shook off the confusion for a later date. "Seeing her like that is kind of making me queasy."

"Why Sarge! I didn't know you had a soft spot for carnivores!" Marcus said with some mirth.

The gruff _Pachyrhinosaurus_ snapped his head to the engineer with surprise, "Buh what!? No! It's just that if I was in a situation where I would fight a predator, hypothetically speaking, I'd rather they be in their prime! Seeing her sick like that just might make me sick."

Hazel simply d at Sarge's attempt to save face, "Great! Glad to hear you've got some sympathy there Knob-nose!"

"Ugh…whatever," Sarge scoffed off the perky young woman's humor. Then he perked up, remembering his latest encounter, "By the way, I managed to fight off some halfwit meat eater before I got here. Thing was pretty dumb going up against somebody like me. Didn't even know how to defend himself properly, though he did manage to give me a couple more marks to add to the collection. So I batted him against a tree then stepped on his neck to show him my 'appreciation'."

"What!? Sarge! Did you just kill that thing!?" Marcus exclaimed with concern laced in his voice. While he wasn't at all concerned about the creature that attacked Sarge, he was worried of any unseen consequences.

The red ceratopsian shrugged his shoulders, not caring for his opponent's outcome, "I think I might have. Or I think I knocked him out. Either way, that fella's not a problem anymore. Little sucker would have given you some nasty bites, clawed you so much he'd add red to your colors, or even break something with his horn! So yeah! What I did was right."

"Wait, back up! Did you just say he had a horn?" Hazel spoke up as she picked up the familiar physical trait the gruff warrior mentioned.

Sarge turned to Hazel and cocked an eye-ridge. "Yeah? Why?

"Hazel, what's wrong?" Aladar said as he approached his human friend with concern.

The girl was focused on getting her information out of the _Pachyrhinosaurus,_ "Sarge, tell me exactly what that creature looked like."

Sarge scrunched up his face as he recalled his encounter, "Well, he's about as tall as me. Had a lighter grey color than that sick lady there you're trying to rescue, and had black spots too. And he had two flat horns above the eyes and one on top of its nose."

Hazel then gained a look of concern. "Holy shit…this is bad."

"What do you mean? I just kicked that guy's tail! I doubt he'll live to see another day, if he lived at all. Plus he was puny compared to me!"

"No, it's not that!"

"What is it?" Flia questioned. "Hazel, what's wrong?"

The rest of the group gathered, concern etching their faces as Hazel spoke up to her friends. "That thing you encountered was a _Ceratosaurus_. It's a predator that's found around these parts. It usually gets its food by hunting or scavenging."

Marcus shrugged his shoulders dismissively, "Well Sarge took care of that fucker. So why are you still worried?"

Said ceratopsian nodded in agreement, "Yeah! At least show some appreciation for my talents!"

The Asian woman rolled her eyes in irritation, "Sarge, you saw ONE _Ceratosaurus_. Size isn't the big issue here. What worries me is that creature usually hunts in—."

Growling is heard nearby. The rescue group stops and became still. Marcus shined a flashlight in the direction of the menacing growls. In the arid foliage were a multitude of eyes reflecting the flashlight's beams in green and red eye-shines. The group was horrified to see at least four other _Ceratosaurus_ stalk out of the forest. Their mouths dripping in saliva and their claws ready to tear anything apart

"Hunts in packs…" Hazel murmured as she backed away from the approaching predators. The rest of her prehistoric friends backed away and got into a lowered, defensive stance.

Sarge groaned in exasperation. "Dang nabbit."

"Sarge you buffoon!" Lethe cursed as she nervously watched the smaller predators stalk out from the vegetation. The description that the ceratopsian provided was spot on as they bore a light grey skin tone, had small black spots running along their backs like dead flies on sand, and dull brown horns sticking out from above the eyes and the snout. "I thought you checked the whole perimeter!"

"I did!" he argued. "There was nobody around! Well, except for that other Cerato-what's-it I took care of."

The crested hadrosaur scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. "Well, apparently you didn't look hard enough! Because now there are four more of them!"

Hazel, who had let go of the chain attached to the jeep, ran her hands through her hair and let out a frustrated scream. "Guys! Now's not the time for arguing!"

The dappled-grey and spotted _Ceratosaurus_ stalked ever closer to the strange group. Expertly, they traversed the sandy bluff between the forest edge and the shore. Dirt was thrown in the air as small clouds from where they stepped. Tiny rocks fell to the bottom like mini avalanches. As they got closer, they each looked at their members expectantly on what to do with these strangers.

Surprisingly to the visitors from the future, they spoke in a near broken English dialect that was similar to how the Carboniferous bugs spoke back at the park.

"Cerato hungry…" the one at the very front, which they identified as the leader due to the brightly red horns he sported rather than the dull brown of the others, snarled hungrily.

The one at the very right, which had a distinctly feminine tone, licked her sharp teeth. A couple drops of saliva dripped onto the dirt in globs. "Cerato eat…"

"They big ones," hissed the one on the far left. "Lots meat here. They feed Cerato for days."

"Cerato will feast!" the second one on the leader's left cackled like a witch. "Cerato wants stuck Allo!"

That last sentence made Alyssa whimper in fear. Though she was bigger than them and could kill them easily, her captured and sickly state made her an easy target to the smaller predators. In the past, she would scare off these horned pests with just a roar or a simple brawl to show off her power. Doing so would normally send them running. But now, the tables had turned, and she was the one about to be killed.

"Do-don't let them anywhere near me!" she cried and shut her eyes tight to hide the sight of the stalking carnivores.

"We know!" Aladar reassured, now moving to the very front of the group. He took a battle stance and snorted, ready to take them on like a one-dinosaur army. He then called out to his friends behind him in a commanding voice, specifically to the ones he chose to fight alongside him. "Sarge, Embo, Flia, you're with me. We can't let these guys near the shore!"

"Everyone else," he continued. "Make sure you get Alyssa out! We'll try to buy you some time!"

"Roger that!" Marcus acknowledged, getting back into the jeep. Once he slammed the door, he floored onto the gas pedal once more. The jeep revved to life again, reaching speeds of 70 to 80 miles per hour again.

"Got it!" Hazel understood. She then ran over to Flia as soon as she heard the Alpha call her name. Quickly, she unhooked the chain that was tied around neck like a loose lasso. The mechanized leash fell on the ground with a thump.

The _Pteranodon_ thanked her scouting partner with a nod before making her way to the defense force that was forming at the front. Her running gait was laughable compared to her grace in the air. Her running on all fours was like a small hoofed mammal learning to run for the first time. Nevertheless, she took her place with the other three dinosaurs, even quickly jumping onto Aladar's back so she could have a good place to take off from.

"So what's the plan? Other than not letting them near our friends and giving them enough time to complete the mission?" Flia asked her superior. The flyer spread her wings apart in a menacing manner to intimidate their foes, which unfortunately, had no effect.

"I'm working on it…" the blue-green alpha analyzed the four incoming Jurassic horned carnivores defensively.

Sarge scoffed at the words that came from the rookie leader's lips. "You mean you didn't have a plan for something like this when we first arrived?

Aladar looked at the knob-nosed ceratopsian at his left and chuckled in embarrassment. The smile he gave was a sheepish one. "I didn't expect this to happen?"

"What the!?" the red _Pachyrhinosaurus_ shook his head in disbelief. "You're the leader! You should always have a contingency plan! Cover all your bases!"

"Yeah, well I'm still kinda new to this thing."

"Guys," Embo stammered, still eyeing the stalking _Ceratosaurus_. During their mini-argument, their enemies had apparently gotten even closer. Their three-fingered claws brandished at the ready and their jaws creased into sadistic grins. "They're getting closer!"

Aladar gritted his teeth. He did have an idea, but it wasn't exactly something that should be mentioned. It was more pathetic than useful in fact. But they wanted an answer, and hopefully it would at least give them a reminder on their objective.

"Alright fine. I've got one," he reluctantly said. He licked his dry lips before speaking. "Stay alive."

His defense team all stared at him, dumbfounded. Of course that was part of their objective, other than helping with the rescue. However, their leader just said something so insufficient as that? No battle plan at all? This rescue was starting to become an embarrassment for them.

Aladar felt like hiding behind a rock after saying that. But this was a battle, and his friends needed a leader. Whether his statement was useful or not, it was the best he could come up with at the moment.

Surprisingly, they took it well.

"I...guess that's a plan?" Flia hesitantly agreed. Though she was used to hearing orders from him in more thought out situations, like during migrations, other problems in the park, heck even taking previous orders from Kron in the past, she could not help but agree to something like this. The flyer didn't want to hurt the _Iguanodon's_ feelings.

Sarge grumbled a little, but accepted it regardless. "A half-witted one, but whatever. Now CHARGE!"

The holler from the ceratopsian made the three other prehistoric creatures jump in surprise. At his instigation, they focused their attention back onto the incoming _Ceratosaurus_. Aladar and Embo bellowed in fury before sprinting alongside Sarge. Flia jumped off of her leader's back and took to the air, specifically aiming for the female _Ceratosaurus_ because her observance of its smaller stature struck her as possibly a more doable target.

In response, the carnivores lunged after them as well. The first one at the front jumping into the air, targeting Aladar's neck. His foot and hand claws were raised into a slashing position. The others next to him followed his maneuver. Each of them let out screeches and wails.

The fight had begun in the blink of an eye.

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Hazel watched in amazement and horror of the scene before her. She was used to seeing all sorts of clashes through prehistory and in Prehistoric Park. And being in her favorite time period to witness how a _Ceratosaurus_ pack fights is like finding a clue to the Holy Grail, if the Holy Grail had anything to do with how Jurassic period hunters killed their prey.

A scene like this was any paleontologist's dream...if their friends weren't the ones that were in the middle of that fight.

She knew they were fighting for a reason. It was to fend off the predators to keep everyone safe AND to buy her and everyone else time to get Alyssa out of the mud. But she could not help but fear for her companions' lives. The _Ceratosaurus_ may be smaller than the Cretaceous denizens, but they are far more dangerous in numbers. In hindsight, they were just like regular _Velociraptors_ except bigger.

Hazel stood there, frozen like an ice statue. Her conflicting mind to help her friends fight the predators and completing the mission turned into indecisiveness.

"Hazel! What are you doing!?" Marcus yelled at her.

The girl snapped out of her stupor and looked over at the frantic engineer. Her eyes recovering from that daze.

"Marcus! We have to help them!"

"Kid, they're fine! They can handle themselves! They're doing what they need to do! Now come on, you've got a job to do too!" the elder employee reminded harshly.

Shaking her head of all doubt, Hazel returned to her position behind the roaring jeep. She grabbed onto the chains and started to pull. Marcus was right, even if she did help, she'll probably be in the way. Worst-case scenario, she may get hurt or eaten. She and Flia came to this time for a reason, and it needed to be done.

Hazel pulled with all her might. Her muscles roared in pain at the amount of effort she put in to pull the 1.5-ton carnivore out. The female _Allosaurus_ was already slumped over, her breathing shallow and quick from the fatigue that was pestering her.

"Come on Alyssa! You better stay awake for us!"

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Aladar and Sarge eyed the predators that were circling around them. Their battle had lasted for only a few minutes, but to them, it felt longer. The _Ceratosaurus_ were relentless in their attacks; every time one of them was knocked down, the other partner would jump in with their claws and teeth at the ready. Their fight eventually reached a point where the alpha _Iguanodon_ and the burly _Pachyrhinosaurus_ stood back-to-back. While they did manage to land a few hits on their horned adversaries, in the form of either scratches or puncture marks on their ribs, or even a few broken bones, they did not get away Scott-free. Aladar's sides were riddled with a few bloody scratch marks from their clawed feet while Sarge received a few more bite marks on his back and neck.

What's worse, they were already getting tired. Their quarrel did a number on their breathing; their lungs ached with stress.

"Any ideas on how to go about this, Aladar?" Sarge asked while keeping his sights on the circling dinosaurs.

Aladar swallowed to wet his already dry throat. "I'm working on it."

"Hehehe...Cerato can'ts waits to eat them. Blood tastes gooder than long neck meat," the leading _Ceratosaurus_ jeered, licking his teeth hungrily.

The partner screeched in excitement. "I wants fat one! Meat tastes juicy!"

"Hey! I'm not fat! It's muscle!" the ceratopsian roared at them and attempted to do a mock charge to scare them off, but to no avail. They just merely backed off a bit then jumped at them.

Both ornithopods skirted out of the way, resulting in the _Ceratosaurus_ to only hit air. When they did land, they were attacked individually by the two large herbivores. Each of them drove them off by a couple of feet and were involved in a battle of their own.

The leading carnivore that Aladar was squaring off against threw attacks at him simultaneously. All of which he expertly dodged by either leaning back or moving out of the way. The claw strikes, tail swipes, and fast bites were narrowly avoided. The _Iguanodon_ managed to land a few thumb hits of his own, but only barely. All they did was create a couple of nicks.

When he jumped back from a tail strike, the alpha herd leader noticed something about the ground. In contrast to the gritty and rough texture of the dirt close to the pond, the terrain he was on was shiftier, almost like sand. Drawing his hoof on one part, he could see three distinct streaks he created. It was a smoother feel and had slightly less traction to it.

Feeling the dirt made him strike an idea. Back when he battled against Kron in the canyon before the herd escaped from Diablo, the former herd leader got the edge in their battle by flinging some dirt in his eyes. Aladar was distracted and temporarily lost his sight. The purple elder _Iguanodon_ tail swiped him against a wall and was about to end his life. However, he survived that day thanks to Neera, the deceased leader's younger sister and Aladar's mate. The dirt he was on was more shifty than the ground in that canyon, but with the right amount of force…

Aladar swung his hoof at the ground and dug up some of the dirt. He got a decent amount of it and flung it at the brightly colored _Ceratosaurus_. He shrieked, coughed, and shook his head vigorously as the small pellets got into his eyes. A small dust cloud formed around his skull. His eyes were shut tight to prevent any more sand from stinging his eyes.

Now that the enemy was distracted, Aladar jumped in for the attack. He swiped his sharp thumbs at the Jurassic creature's throat, creating deep gashes that leaked out giant squirts of blood. One of his strikes was aimed perfectly at his jugular vein, cutting off one of the main blood routes to the head. Some of them even got onto the _Iguanodon_ , staining his beautiful blue-green and beige hide with splashes of red.

The alpha predator shrieked in pain and then fell on the ground. A large pool of crimson sustenance formed around him. He squirmed as his blood gushed out uncontrollably, before his body became rigid, and finally, still.

The leading _Ceratosaurus_ died from blood loss.

Satisfied that his enemy will no longer pester him, his friends, and come after Alyssa, Aladar looked over to his right to see how his knob-nosed associate was doing. He noticed Sarge ramming his head and frill against the creature's ribs and upper thigh. Actually, it was more of the predator screaming in pain as the amount of force the _Pachyrhinosaurus_ put into his attack caused the ribs and leg bones to break. What's more, the carnivore's body was riddled with new puncture wounds and some parts of his chest had pieces of his own bones sticking out.

"Yeah, you like that!?" Sarge laughed sadistically. He then positioned his bony snout ridge and horns so that he could lift the smaller carnivore. The _Ceratosaurus_ may be nearly as tall as the Late Cretaceous armored dinosaur, but he was much lighter than him. Carrying this monster that was two to three times larger than a normal _Velociraptor_ was nothing he could not handle.

Aladar's eyes widened as he saw the red warrior literally fling the squirming predator at him.

"INCOMING!" he warned.

Immediately, the herbivore angled his body perpendicular to the incoming enemy. His strong tail swung at his head. The force he put in angled the creature's head away, and the distinct sound of bones cracking reverberated for seconds. The _Ceratosaurus_ subordinate slumped on the ground, unmoving.

Aladar sighed and looked away from the dead horned-killer. Right when he was about to go looking for Embo and Flia, Sarge came up to him with relief on his features.

"Yeah nice shot! For a rookie leader, you're not half bad," he told him with a smile.

Surprisingly, he did not seem to offended by that. The _Iguanodon_ flicked the blood away from his thumb spikes. He did not get a chance to clean them up after his last battle until now. He set a mental note to leave some time after the mission to ask either Nigel or Bob to help him get cleaned off before reuniting with his family. If they saw him like that, they would be sure to worry.

"Let's help the others," Aladar said.

The two bounded for their two friends who were fighting the rest of the Allosaurus pack. Things were starting to look up since they defeated half of the carnivore group. Little did they know that their actions disturbed a couple of their friends.

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Hazel and the others were close to getting Alyssa out when she heard the shrieks. She had just finished rolling up the muddy tarps that were spread around Alyssa that served as platforming. The dirty water splashed onto the woman's once-pristine tank top. Because there would be no one around to push her out, there was no need for them. At first, she was worried that the pack managed to kill their defenders. The woman couldn't bear to see the sight of them lying in a bloody heap, with the Jurassic carnivores feasting on their carcasses. Seeing their eyes lose their color and their bodies become still was something she could not bear.

Scared for their well-being, the Asian looked over to her left. Her mouth fell agape as she saw that she was wrong. Yes, their friends were fine, though they had a few wounds here and there. Aladar was even covered in bloody scratches and bites just like Sarge. But that was not what was troubling her. From where she was at, she watched the whole fight scene between Aladar and Sarge against two _Ceratosaurus_ play out.

To her, time seemed to fade out as she watched them square off against the Jurassic carnivores. Though it was already twilight, she could still make out the distinct shapes of her friends and the _Ceratosaurus_ pack they were fighting. They dodged a dual attack from both sides before taking them on individually. Watching Aladar, she saw him fling some dust into the leading predator's eyes before using his thumb spikes to seriously wound him. One of his attacks sliced him across the throat, causing the alpha carnivore to collapse onto the ground. A pool formed where it squirmed, and blood spewed out like a fountain. It did not take long before he became still.

Hazel was horrified to see one of her best friends kill a dinosaur in cold blood, but she became even more frightened when she looked into Aladar's eyes. Looking into the radiant, emerald eyes of the _Iguanodon_ she accepted as part of her family, she saw not compassion or kindness, but something far more primitive. Aladar was emanating a sort of primal expression, one that Hazel was familiar with from previous encounters with creatures from her world.

It was the look of an animal.

Her fears escalated when she witnessed Sarge throw an injured _Ceratosaurus_ towards Aladar. The cerulean ornithopod got into a battle position and swung his tail at the predator's skull. The force he put in was so hard that the creature fell onto the ground. The body was still and the breathing was nonexistent.

The whole time she got to know Aladar, Flia, and even the rest of the Herd, she viewed them as her close friends. In a way, they had a sense of humanity to them. Watching Aladar kill those two _Ceratosaurus_ in cold blood averted her view on how she saw the world. Now, for that one moment, it was like she was looking at a savage animal. Hazel knew they were doing what they needed to in order to protect them, but watching them kill made her see a side of them she was afraid of.

Hazel thought she understood Survival of the Fittest. She thought she was used to it by now, even though most of the time it made her uncomfortable. She was wrong.

"Oh shit! We've got company!" Marcus suddenly screamed.

Broken out of her daze, Hazel whirled around to see what the engineer meant by that. Naomi and Lethe both went into sudden battle positions. When the girl looked at the forest edge and bluff ahead of them, she could not help but let out a scream. Coming down from the slope, ready to tear their throats out, was another _Ceratosaurus_.

"Marcus!" Naomi cried out. She quickly ran over next to the jeep and swiped the predator away with her right hoof. The young male grey attacker was thrown off to the side and landed against a large boulder. But the attack only dazed him for a few seconds.

The new _Ceratosaurus_ quickly got up and shook his head before crouching down with his claws raised.

"What the hell!? I thought there was only four of them!" Hazel blurted out in surprise.

"This one must have been hiding nearby, watching our every move," Lethe deduced, glaring at the smaller creature. "No doubt this one was scoping us out, looking for any weaknesses. Little deviants...while the rest of the team was keeping the others busy, this one was waiting for the right chance to strike."

"Yeah, but it looks like he's alone. Think you two can handle him?" Marcus asked the two large females.

Both females nodded to him.

"Make sure he doesn't get near the humans or Alyssa," Lethe told her associate. She reared back and got her hooves ready to knock him back. Even though her kind lacked the thumb spikes their smaller cousins had, _Parasaurolophus_ had strength on their side, something that this Jurassic carnivore was no match against.

"I-I'm not very good at fighting…" Naomi gulped.

"Well, it looks like you're about to have your first session. Because here he comes!"

The battle began before anyone could blink.

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Flia soared up to the sky, narrowly escaping another one of her enemy's bites. The tip of her beak was riddled with splashes of blood due to stabbing at the female Ceratosaurus' hide multiple times. The smell of that blood irritated her nostrils. The metallic stench made her want to gag.

 _Pteranodons_ , or the majority of her species, were mainly fish eaters. They were not very picky on their diet, as long as it came from the water. However, Flia heard tales from members of her colony about other flyers that ate things other than seafood. They told her that some of them ate anything that moved on land. Some were ten times smaller than her and ate insects and small creatures. But others were even larger than her and could eat small dinosaurs. There were even a number of them that eat scraps from dead bodies.

Flia was repulsed by those diets. She was content at eating fish. But because of the smell of blood that perforated her nostrils, she may have trouble with eating for a while.

"Ugh, disgusting…" she resisted the urge to hurl.

She folded her wings and zoomed down towards the roaring carnivore. Using her aerial tactics, she aimed for the most open areas, from the ribs to the flanks. She did so while avoiding getting in the way of the female's claws and teeth too.

While _Ceratosaurus_ were smaller than the giant predators of this age, they made up for it in speed and brainpower; though, considering their simplistic dialect, "brainpower" was stretching it. They were ambush hunters and quick to analyze situations. They were at their most lethal when working in large groups.

In short, they were no different than a regular _Velociraptor_.

While the female carnivore had never seen a large pterosaur before, she quickly got the upper hand in the situation when she read how Flia attacked. Using her strong leg muscles, she quickly dodged out of the way of the zipping flyer's dive bomb attacks. All the while making drops of blood fall onto the sand.

However, the terrestrial disadvantage did not last long. She finally got her chance to strike when Flia came in at the wrong position. Right when the _Pteranodon_ swooped in and narrowly missed a strike to the ribs, said enemy whirled around and did a tail swipe at Flia's back.

"Agh!" she screamed. She tumbled through a few bushes and then landed against one of the trees in the forest. Her skin picked up on a few splinters as the force of her hit was enough to break the bark.

The female flyer groaned and slumped onto the ground, landing on her stomach. Her vision was shaky and blurry, like she was looking through some dirty water ripples. By the time she was somewhat recovered, she turned around to see the Jurassic female stalking towards her. Her teeth were dripping with saliva and her hand claws were spread out for slashing.

"Cerato make meal out of you!" she cackled.

"Well go on with it then!" Flia spat, showing her disgust at her winning opponent. "I hope you choke on my bones!"

Just when she was about to get her first bite, something large and blue broadsided her. She landed with a grunt and rolled away before stopping on her stomach. By the time Flia's vision readjusted, she was looking upon the immense form of the alpha Herd leader.

"Aladar!" she said with a smile.

He nudged her up with his snout, carefully avoiding the new splinters on her back. "You okay, Flia?"

"Fine," the _Pteranodon_ replied, wiping the dirt off her wings. She then looked over and her relieved expression turned into a frantic reaction. "Watch out!"

Looking over, the _Iguanodon_ saw the _Ceratosaurus_ he knocked away lunging towards him. Her teeth had streams of saliva that looked like spider silk connecting her lower jaw. Her irises turned into slits as she looked upon her would-be victim. She jumped up, ready to bite onto his throat.

Thankfully, Aladar was able to dodge that move. He quickly backed away before she could land a hit. All she landed on was dirt and some broken twigs, the fall stinging her feet a little.

The alpha leader reared up and let out a trumpeting bellow. Putting all of his strength to the forefront of his body, he came upon her like an avalanche into a valley. His hooves brought her down; his left hoof was on her neck while his right was on her ribs. The _Ceratosaurus_ had no time to scream as her life was taken away. Her cause of death was a combination of a broken neck and broken rib bones piercing her lungs.

Aladar sighed, the ordeal now done. He looked over at the exhausted _Pteranodon_ , who was now approaching him while trying to scratch off the dried bits of blood from her beak. Coughs and gags escaped her toothless mouth.

"Gross!" she gagged. "This blood smells worse than a pile of stinkbugs! I think I'll skip dinner tonight…"

"Worry about your diet later. We need to check up on everyone else," Aladar said, making a beeline back to the pond.

Flia followed suit, taking off into the air from a small pile of boulders nearby. She still gagged as she tried to scratch off the remaining blood midflight.

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Unlike everyone else, who had success in dealing with their opponents or were preoccupied with their own battles, one _Iguanodon_ was not having the time of his life. Embo was busy trying to defend himself from the last _Ceratosaurus_. This predator, which was perhaps the smallest in the pack since he only reached to just below Embo's chin, was giving him a hard time. This one must be at least a youngster barely into his adulthood. But his speed and stinging bites made up for the lack of height.

Embo was really not doing so well. He had already sustained multiple claw marks on his ribs and several bite marks on his neck. A few injuries he could walk off with, but with the amount of damage this youngster was giving him, it would only be a matter of time before he collapses from blood loss. He may be bigger, but Embo was not much of a fighter. The navy _Iguanodon_ tended to stay out of fights unless it was necessary. And right now was necessary, for his friends and his mate were in danger.

However, the problem was not just the _Ceratosaurus_ being an utter annoyance, it was his sloppy attacks.

Embo swiped at the carnivore with one arm, hoping to get his thumb spike into his neck or at least get a decent scratch. He ended up only scratching air due to the lethe enemy ducking at the last second. There was also barely a scratch on him too.

"Why didn't I just tell Aladar I didn't want to fight?" Embo deadpanned, wanting to hit his head against the ground out of regret. He closed his eyes to try to get himself to calm down.

Unfortunately, doing so allowed the _Ceratosaurus_ to get passed his guard. He made a run for his left flank and jumped onto the ornithopod. The claws on his feet dug into his skin, giving the predator a nice foothold...but also a painful surprise to Embo.

Embo screamed in pain. Stinging agony ripped through his body as his flesh was torn open by three new claw marks on his back. Blood dripped out, covering his once pristine blue hide in a deep crimson red.

In an effort to get the oversized raptor-wannabee off, Embo did something he had never done before. He started to rock his body vigorously. First he reared back high enough so he could try to throw the creature off balance. Then he stomped on the ground. The small Jurassic denizen hung onto him still, and his claws dug deeper into his skin.

The herbivore winced in pain. In an attempt to throw him off again, he continued his tactic. This time, he tried doing the same to his back end. He rocked back and forth with each turn speeding up. If he had done this sort of thing back in Prehistoric Park, the humans would have compared him to an oversized bull trying to get a rider off its back in a rodeo.

"Get off of me you little sucker!" he roared in anger.

Having enough of the predator that hung onto him, Embo tried another tactic. He had never done this before, but he had seen one other Herd member do this to a raptor when he was younger. The _Iguanodon_ reared back again as if ready to do another stomp. But this time, rather than going back down, he went all the way back. His body fell backwards onto the pebble-infested ground. The _Ceratosaurus'_ grip loosened from getting crushed by the weight of the large herbivore and his posterior meeting the earth.

Once Embo got back up, he felt the claws on his back slide off. The idea gave him the opening he needed. He swung around, and smacked his hoof onto the predator's neck.

At least, it would have worked if the horned creature did not roll out of the way in time. The _Ceratosaurus_ may have been caught off guard by the sudden move, but he was not totally stunned. Getting into position, the predator angled his body a little to the right and swung his tail. The thinner appendage was aimed at his face, but luckily, Embo was able to move out of the way in time.

The _Iguanodon_ then tried to ram his body against the creature. But doing so only caused the Jurassic carnivore to jump out of the way. This also caused Embo to accidentally his one of the trees with his shoulder.

"Umph!" he grunted, splinters now embedded into his hide. Small narrow leaves fell from the top of the tree as a result of his crash.

"Hahaha!" the predator cackled. His voice sounded almost slithery, like a snake. "Big leaf eater no good fighter. Cerato loves to play with food. But now Cerato bored! Cerato will-"

His sentence was cut off by the sudden appearance of a large creature broadsiding him. The _Ceratosaurus_ had no time to react as a brick-hued _Pachyrhinosaurus_ rammed his knob-nose into his ribs. He shrieked, trying to block out the pain of small horns piercing his skin. This new opponent was about the size of the navy _Iguanodon_ , but was obviously much more armored due to the immense bony frill decorating the top of his head.

"Cerato will shut up and eat some dirt!" Sarge retorted. He kept running with his new hostage in tow. The ceratopsian ran for the nearest tree and rammed the puny carnivore.

The predator screamed, his hide crashing into the bark so hard that it started to give in. Pieces of wood flung everywhere. Some of his bones got fractured from the hit.

But that was not enough. Sarge rammed against the poor creature, again, and again, and again. The sound of bones breaking repeatedly echoed in his ears. The _Ceratosaurus_ attempted to fight back by kicking against the tree, clawing at Sarge's face, and even biting his frill. However, doing so only caused him more injury. The horns on the frill were positioned at a point where it pierced through the dinosaur's gums, even breaking some of his teeth. And that worsened when Sarge batted him against the tree.

Finally, after numerous times of mutilating the Jurassic carnivore, the _Pachyrhinosaurus_ flung him to the ground. His legs were so crippled that he had lost the ability to walk. His cries turned into whimpering moans. The flesh eater shakily moved his arms, trying to crawl away, but could not as a large foot stomped onto his back.

"Oh no you don't…" Sarge taunted. He placed a foot onto the skull. "You're not going anywhere. You mess with my friends, you mess with me! Hasta la vista, dirtbag!"

With that statement, he drove his strength into his left foot. The hefty herbivore pushed hard onto the _Ceratosaurus'_ skull, fracturing it all around. The predator shrieked and madly moved his tail and body, as if he were some worm. He suddenly stopped when Sarge's foot was a few inches from touching the ground. Blood poured out from the predator's maw, staining the terra-cotta landscape.

"And that takes care of that!" he cheered, getting his feet off the recent corpse.

Hearing some muffled footsteps behind him, Sarge turned around. His happy reaction turned into annoyance when he looked upon the beaten up form of Embo.

"Thanks Sarge," he said, just stopping a few inches from him. He flexed one of his feet to ease an aching muscle. "I owe you. That thing just wouldn't stop attacking. He just kept moving around-"

"Can it blue boy!" Sarge erupted. Embo held his mouth shut. His neck muscles stretched sideways as he moved his head back from the intimidating approach of the angry _Pachyrhinosaurus_. "Your performance in battle was laughable! Haven't you ever been in a real fight before?"

"Um...er...yes? No? I don't know? Nothing like this?" Embo stammered. He actually was in a fight before, but that was when one male from the Herd was trying to claim Naomi as a mate. She kept on saying no but the stranger would not let up. Embo won that battle out of luck only because his rival tripped and fell down a hill.

"Pathetic! And you volunteered to help Aladar with taking these guys out!?"

"Well I-I wanted to contribute to-," he stammered, but was once again cut off.

"I didn't tell you to reply dirtbag! You could have gotten yourself killed out there! Had I not stepped in, you would have been that thing's dinner! You need some work on your fighting skills, boy!"

"Bu-but Sarge! I don't do fights! I'm more of a pacif-"

"You need some help blue boy! Count yourself lucky, because you're talking to a top notched soldier who has been through a lot of things. Starting tomorrow, you and I will work on those 'skills' of yours."

Embo gasped. Seriously, he was trying to tell Sarge he was not much of a fighter. No wait, why had he volunteered to fight anyway? He doesn't do fights!

"I should have said 'I'd rather stay with Naomi and Lethe'…" he whispered to himself. He sighed before replying back to Sarge in his most confident manner.

"Sarge, I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but I don't need-"

"Great! Glad to hear you're excited! I'll see you bright and early tomorrow!" Sarge happily said. He then ran off in the other direction to go and check up on the others at the shore. More specifically, he went off towards where the girls and Marcus were.

Moments later, Embo was joined by two other individuals. At first, he tensed up because he thought two more _Ceratosaurus_ were coming after him. When he listened closely, he heard the sound of flapping wings and the rhythmic beating of a quadruped running. He did not really need to look back, since he just found out who had come to check up on him.

"Embo," Aladar started. His calm demeanor portrayed a sense of relief. "Glad to see you're okay."

"Ugh, I never want to go into a fight again…" the navy _Iguanodon_ shook his head disdainfully.

"Why's that?" Flia inquired. She spread her wings apart then angled them in a way so she could land gracefully. Afterwards she folded them into their normal resting position against her body.

Embo could not help but gulp. Talking about him not being much of a fighter was an embarrassing topic. "I'd...rather not talk about it. You wouldn't happen to know a place where I can spend the night away from our part of the valley, would you?"

That question was met with a prolonging silence. Neither had an idea on where to go in order to avoid Sarge's wrath.

For once, Embo wished he were eaten by the _Ceratosaurus_ rather than go through a tense training regime with that thick-headed numbskull.

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"Come on guys! She's almost out! Just a little more!" Hazel hollered, not bothering to look back at the female ornithopods in the back. Her arms strained even more as she pulled onto the chains. The jeep behind her kept on revving, the tires screeched even louder as the vehicle started going at a faster speed.

"We're trying the best we can!" the _Parasaurolophus_ yelled back, which was then followed by a grunt. "But you try to pull someone out of the mud while fighting a flesh-eating nuisance at the same time!"

"Lethe, he's on my back! Get him off!" Naomi screamed.

If Aladar and the others thought the rescue team was having an easy time with this part of the mission, then they really had no idea what they were going through. While they were busy keeping the _Ceratosaurus_ pack busy, another one had been hiding nearby, waiting to strike on them when their guard was down. For the past several minutes, the female _Parasaurolophus_ and the female _Iguanodon_ were working to keep the predator at bay while trying to get an even heavier carnivore out of the pond banks. They managed to get some wounds onto the predator, but not enough to deter him. Bloody scratches and bruises littered his body from all the hits the girls pulled on him.

"Get him off me Lethe!" the cerulean ornithopod screeched as she tried to shake him off. Unlike her mate, who used tactics that he witnessed when he was young, Naomi merely shook her body from side to side. She hoped that her vigorous movements would dislodge the small carnivore, but it was not working.

"I can't remove him unless you stay still!" the hadrosaur retorted. Her hoof swipes were only hitting air.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Lethe got a hit in. One of her paws made contact with one of the cheeks. Her hit was so hard that it sent the predator flying off of poor Naomi. Her frantic screaming ceased as soon as she felt his talons slip off her. The carnivore rolled onto his side until he stopped against another rock. The body laid sprawled like a dead bug under the sun.

The _Ceratosaurus_ hitting against the rock had apparently knocked him out.

The female _Iguanodon_ chuckled weakly then nudged her comrade on the shoulder in affection. "Thanks Lethe."

She did not give her an indication of acknowledgement. Instead, the _Parasaurolophus_ marched over to the unconscious carnivore, resolve clear on her features. The chain rattled behind her as it hit against every rock and pebble.

"Now to finish the job," the teal hadrosaur said with murderous intent. After what seemed to be hours battling against a predator three times bigger than a normal raptor, they would finally be rid of this pest.

"STOP!"

Lethe froze in her tracks. She was literally about a few feet away from beating the _Ceratosaurus_ to death. The voice she heard was distinctly feminine and had desperation in its frequency. But it was not the sound of the command that made her stop. It was who said it. When she looked over towards the direction of the pond, she saw a horrified Hazel, looking upon her with tears in her eyes.

And it was not just Lethe who was surprised. Marcus and Naomi were in the same boat. The engineer in the jeep had been caught up with what had been going on that the jeep was just standing in place. The engine still revved, though not as loud as when it was going 80 miles per hour.

"Don't hurt him!" Hazel ordered the hadrosaur.

"Why?" Lethe shot her an inquired look. Her glances switched from her to the unconscious carnivore, though she was starting to see Hazel with suspicion. "Are you siding with this...this...thing!? Even when he's been trying to get passed us to kill you?"

The human shook her head defiantly. Throughout the past several minutes, Hazel had been trying to avoid looking over at her friends fighting the _Ceratosaurus_. Her mind ran amok with thoughts of fear and confusion. Earlier today, she and Flia spoke about their feelings on "survival of the fittest". She even said that she was against it and preferred Aladar's approach in life, where helping others through compassion and kindness was the way to go. But as soon as the _Ceratosaurus_ came, all that melted away like that philosophy never existed. Now Hazel did not know how to feel now because her friends were going against the ideal they fought to uphold. "No, I'm not! But he's unconscious! Don't you think he's had enough?"

"If nothing is done at this very moment, he'll just get back up and attack you again! Meanwhile, we're doing what we can to save you! So if you don't mind-"

"He's a living being, just like you! And he's barely into his adulthood!" she protested.

"Hey, I'd love to debate more about our philosophies on how everyone is meant to live and all, but don't you think we've got more important things to do!?" Marcus interjected. He had sensed where this was going and did not want to have to handle a battle on two fronts, one where there were potential predators hiding and the other where his own teammates were fighting amongst each other.

When he said that, they all looked over at Alyssa, with whom he was pertaining to. Her eyes were getting droopy and her breathing was even more rapid than before. Her body swayed like a tree sapling against a strong wind. Due to how long she had been standing in the mud, along with the fact that she was almost completely out, the _Allosaurus_ looked like she was going to topple over at any minute. Her ankles were still buried in the sediment, meaning that the rescue was not done yet.

Lethe then looked over at Hazel. Though Marcus had a point in focusing on what was more important, she could not help but let out her feelings on the situation. "Think about your priorities Hazel. You may have your own values, but ideals alone cannot save you in a world like this."

With that said, the _Parasaurolophus_ returned to her place next to Naomi, who hid her feelings from everyone. Though she hated fighting, she did not want to have to see something murdered in front of her. She'd rather be away from that than bear witness to that horrid act.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, the _Iguanodon_ female saw something move west of where they were. Looking over, she expected one of their allies to be coming towards them. Her eyes turned into fear as she looked upon a _Ceratosaurus_ coming at them, its eyes filled with hunger and glee. Naomi thought that he had recovered from his stupor and came to attack them from a different angle, but her theory was thwarted when she saw the unconscious predator nearby that Lethe almost killed.

This one was different. It was male, just like the defeated adolescent nearby. But it had numerous scratches and other wounds dotting his body. There was blood all over its chest and back, along with some puncture marks.

No, this was the one that Sarge fought earlier. And it was coming towards Hazel.

"Hazel, run! Get out of the way!"

The human whirled around. When she did, she was greeted by a blurred grey object coming towards her. The yellow menacing eyes, the full set of teeth, and the primal roars reverberated through her being. Her legs refused to give way. Looking down, she saw that she was not stuck in the muddy bank, but her limbs would not heed her mind's order to flee. They were shaking too, as if they were brittle leaves.

Hazel could do nothing but scream as the ferocious _Ceratosaurus_ stalked towards her.

Suddenly, something large loomed above her. Glancing around and above, she could see that she was surrounded by two immense three-toed legs and a large chest cavity. Through the incoming darkness of night, she could make out a large carnosaur with a dark grey hide and a light-blue chest cavity. The creature that suddenly appeared looked to be almost 40 feet long, but there were a few things that were off about it. The first thing was the thick hide around its legs. For some reason, there were warts all over and both limbs were giving off some kind of moisture. The smell from the odd skin was infuriating her nostrils like diluted tear gas.

The second thing was the thing's chest. Though it was light blue, it was shimmering for some reason. That and every time it moved, the chest crackled like paper. In addition, Hazel could not make out any arms, for they were missing from view.

Everything happened so fast. Once the _Ceratosaurus_ got close to the creature, the larger animal grabbed over his shoulder with its jaws. The smaller carnosaur squirmed in its grip; clawing at its face and frantically moving all of his limbs to break free. But to no avail. The pressure of the bite on its body was too great. The wounds that he sustained from his last bout against Sarge worsened as the teeth of the larger carnivore dug into them. More blood leaked out and fell onto the ground.

The horned dinosaur screamed for its life. Its captor then shook him like a rag doll, before throwing him off to the side. The _Ceratosaurus_ landed next to the rotting _Stegosaurus_ corpse, unmoving. His shattered ribs pierced his lungs, creating massive internal bleeding. No sound escaped from its maw as he slipped into death's embrace.

Hazel was horrified by the sight, but was more afraid for whatever had saved her. Did it rescue her only to have her as it's personal dinner? Did it just do that because the _Ceratosaurus_ was on its territory?

It was not until a circle of light reflecting from the flashlight Marcus just took out that Hazel got her answer. The light-blue hide that she saw was a large plastic tarp with harnesses on its back. The reason why she saw no arms was because they were snuggled inside the human-made contraption. Three chains hung above it like some odd metal ornamentation. As for the thick-massed legs, it turned out to be large clumps of mud that were stuck on its real skin.

Hazel backed away and looked upon the tired, sickly expression of her savior. Its breathing was long and quick. The blood from the dead predator stained the sharp teeth like red paint.

It was Alyssa. She had gotten her feet out in time in order to save the human from death.

"Are you okay?" she asked the stunned woman.

"Uh...yeah...fine...thanks," she replied, trying to get all of her words out in a calm demeanor.

"That's goo…" Alyssa uttered, but never finished that sentence.

The _Allosaurus_ fell onto her side, dust kicking up for a moment from where she laid. Her eyes flittered for a moment before closing. She had used up what remained of her energy to save the human that promised to save her.

"Oh my God! Alyssa!" Hazel screamed. She placed her hands against the carnivore's face and shook her. The weight of the one-and-a-half-ton giant's skull was heavy for its size, so she could only lift her head up by a couple centimeters.

If she had not been too focused on the fallen carnivore, she would have noticed Aladar and the others rendezvous with the rest of the group. Though they were worn out from fighting off the rest of the _Ceratosaurus_ , they were happy to see everyone still in one piece. But their relief faded when they saw the unconscious Alyssa. Her breathing was almost non-existent beneath the tarp, so they could not tell whether she was still alive or not.

Right when they were about to head over and check up on them, they heard a strange whirring sound near the forest edge. A bright light illuminated the twilight with a seemingly otherworldly grace. All of them squinted a little in order to prevent incoming blindness.

"Hazel! The portal's open!" Marcus hollered, who opened the gateway back into the present thanks to the already stationed poles that were left there some time ago and the remote he had in his pocket.

Hazel looked over and noticed the newly created rift in time. She quickly shut off the quicksand machine and then hauled towards the jeep's trunk. Bits of mud splattered on her as she heaved the dirty aquatic contraption into the vehicle. The other dinosaurs and Marcus made it through first due to their large size and advantage of speed. The fainted _Allosaurus_ was pulled in tow thanks to the chains that were still attached to her. The denizens from the future crossed the time stream, leaving the dangers of the Jurassic period behind. Their entrance into Prehistoric Park was presented by their bodies disappearing through the wormhole, and ripples splashing all over the vortex.

The portal dissipated as quickly as it appeared. The light it gave off dimmed away, leaving the pond in a perpetual darkness.

By the time morning arrives, anyone who approached the pond would be greeted by a stench of blood and death. Bodies of dead _Ceratosaurus_ littered the shore, as if some kind of massacre occurred the night before. The only _Ceratosaurus_ that was still alive would walk away, wounded, but still alive. Footprints of creatures that did not belong in that time period dotted the ground and into the forest, along with tracks belonging to a 21st century vehicle and footprints of a creature that would not appear until the Cenozoic era.

The forgotten pond death trap amidst the arid forest was empty, save for a diseased ridden carcass of a long forgotten young _Stegosaurus_. The dried corpse of an old _Allosaurus_ male, who suffered slowly under the ancient scorching desert sun. And the violently beaten bodies of the Jurassic's iconic scavenger of the time laying prone amongst the dusty desert ground. Creatures they have never seen before sealed their fates and as a result of underestimating those unknown creatures and overestimating themselves, they paid with their lives.


	6. Truths and Ideals

Prehistoric Park...Two Days Later

Marcus wiped the drops of sweat from his brow. His third and final stun gun was finally repaired. With the advanced technology that the park staff now has on their persons, there would be times when the equipment would conk out. In this case, the last three were due to loose wiring from mishandled use or just in need of battery replacements. He was still coming up with a way to make the stun guns solar powered rather than battery powered. It would save him and the park a considerable amount of money.

Dropping his wrench, he placed his hands on both sides of the weapon and started to analyze the circuitry inside for any discrepancies. The panel at the bottom of the tech gun was open, revealing the various wires, power cables, the battery panel, and the motherboard lying just in the middle. A few minutes of analyzing every detail and he found no other problems that needed to be resolved.

"Okay, this one's done," he said, closing the lid of the stun gun panel.

He was about ready to retrieve the four small screws off to the side to secure the small door when someone called to him from the doorway.

"Hey Marcus," said a distinctly feminine voice.

The engineer nearly jumped at the sudden greeting. It was already getting towards late afternoon in Prehistoric Park. The sky was clear, but it was slowly transitioning from light-blue to a faded orange. The trees and hills his workshop was situated near to were already getting darker by the hour. Being in South Africa at this season, one would expect frequent hot episodes. Today was in fact one of the hottest days of the year, being at least 95 degrees around noon.

Normally, his afternoons were quiet. He would not get visitors at this hour unless it was some kind of an emergency or if it was Hazel wanting to crash in for a bit. Rarely, the visitors would be Residents.

But in this case, his surprise visitors were a purple, flat-crested _Pteranodon_ and an _Iguanodon_ with a blue-green coloration and a slightly lavender hue on the snout.

"Hey Flia. Hey Aladar," he greeted, pushing the repaired stun gun aside. "I see you both rested up nicely. How've you been?"

"We're fine," the alpha herd leader replied. He let out a deep breath as a way to show his lingering tiredness from the recent rescue two days ago. "Still exhausted, but fine. I hope we didn't catch you at a bad time."

"Nah, I was just wrapping up on a few adjustments to some of our equipment for the day. Making the jobs in the Park easier for our staff one repair at a time. What's up?"

He was expecting to hear something related to the usual goings-on in the park. Something like Yin and her _Borealosaurus_ flock just went missing when they were visiting Baylene in the Herd Grounds or Espantos was playing another game of hide and go seek with the keepers. Usually when friends meet up, they would talk about any recent news, want to catch up, or they have problems they need advice on.

But in this case, his interest in wanting to know what was going on in their lives turned into concern. The two Cretaceous denizens eyed each other with worry for a moment before looking back at him with insecurity.

"Well...it's about Hazel," the _Pteranodon_ started. "She's been acting...odd."

Marcus scrunched up his lips into a slight frown. He had noticed a certain change in Hazel's mood since rescuing Alyssa from the Jurassic period. Her pent-up frustration towards him and everyone else as soon as Alyssa was given to Suzanne and the vets was something he thought was related to the stress of that night. Then again, he barely remembered what happened that day because he was still tired from it.

"Hm...well she has been a bit antisocial as of late. She hasn't been talking a lot the past two days. Even though she does help with the other park employees, she's been spending most of her time in her room. Or so I've heard."

"That's the problem," Aladar mentioned, frowning at the thought of Hazel's new attitude. "We've never seen her like this before. I mean, yes she's mad about something, but we can't help but feel that she's feeling something else too. Whatever it is, she's barely talking to us. Earlier today, when Flia and I tried to approach her to see how she was doing, she barely gave us a glance. Not a 'hi' or anything. She just kept on walking without a word. It's...just not like her."

Marcus put a finger on his chin. His thoughts starting to pinpoint on the cause of her frustrations. "I see your point."

"We were wondering if you knew what was going on with her," Flia said, talking a few steps into his workshop. As she spoke, she lifted her winged arms up in an equivalent to a person doing the same thing in a regular conversation. "She's been like that ever since we rescued Alyssa. We tried talking to Naomi and Lethe, but we didn't really get much. All we heard was that she and Lethe were about to get into an argument regarding one of the _Ceratosaurus_ they fought. Then Lethe said something about 'Hazel getting her priorities straight'. She seemed irritated about the subject so she did not want to talk more about it."

"That's why we came to you," the _Iguanodon_ concluded Flia's point, and brought their feelings to light. "We were hoping you could shed some light on the matter so we can help Hazel."

It was at that moment that Marcus understood. He remembered that night when Naomi and Lethe were keeping that lone _Ceratosaurus_ at bay while they working on pulling the sick _Allosaurus_ out. Hazel stopped Lethe from beating the predator to death, and obviously she felt pretty torn up about seeing the poor thing getting involved into a throwdown with two larger herbivores. He may not be much of an expert on philosophy, but he could sympathize with what she was going through. And it was something they needed to handle fast.

At the same time, a sense of uneasiness arose in his chest. He remembered everything else that happened, and he wished it did not happen. Aladar, Flia, Sarge, and Embo killed off most of the members of that pack. He may not be a scientist, but thanks to the Communicator he now wore, he was able to connect to any Prehistoric creature on a more human level. Seeing a few of his friends kill off some carnivores that were innocent disturbed him. For a moment, he felt like he was talking to a couple of Dr. Jekylls who would turn into Mr. Hydes if a certain trigger was pulled. But that kind of thinking was incorrect. From his talks with Nigel and his previous conversations with some of the friendly carnivores in the park, Marcus understood the role of a meat eater in the cycle of life. They're in charge of keeping certain populations from getting too large, while at the same time, they only hunt what they need in order to survive.

Aladar, Flia and most of the members of the Herd may agree with the "survival through compassion" notion, but he had a feeling that kind of ideal would be overshadowed by the need to take drastic measures, all in the purpose of defending themselves or those they cared about.

Marcus may have understood that notion, but he knew it would not be as easy with Hazel. She saw more things in her adventures than he has.

"I think I know what's going on," he said, intent on keeping his thoughts on "survival of the fittest" to himself. He did not want to hurt anyone's feelings.

Both dinosaur and pterosaur metaphorically jumped in excitement.

"You do!?" they both exclaimed at the same time.

"I know what's bothering Hazel. Apparently she's upset about what happened two days ago. I felt that she was bothered by the whole ambush and you guys going off to fight them. As to what about it is bugging her, I'll have to check for myself. Wouldn't want to get the wrong assumption. I'll see if I can talk to her."

Of course, Marcus knew that his assumption was right. He knew of Hazel's internal fight against nature's law. He could see it in her eyes when they both watched the _Ceratosaurus_ get dealt with by two angry herbivores. Yes, he had seen Aladar and Flia kill off two members of the pack. Yes, he felt awkward speaking to them now. But if these two went to her in her emotionally unstable state, there could be a rift between the Herd and the park employees. He didn't want that. Someone needed to knock some sense into her; to remind her that she needs to accept some things as they are.

And that was what he intended to do.

"Great!" Aladar smiled. "We'll come with you!"

Marcus lifted a hand up for a moment, showing his appreciation for the company. "Thanks. I appreciate you wanting to help, but I think I'll handle this myself."

Puzzled expressions dotted their faces. The fact that they were being told to stay out of this was something unexpected. This was one of their close friends after all. They should be there for her.

"What? Why? We're close to Hazel as much as you are," the _Iguanodon_ reminded.

Marcus frowned and kept his composure. "Remember what you said? Judging from what you told me, it seems like she's avoiding you for a reason. If you try to approach her, she won't open up. Whatever is bothering her, it involves you. Let me talk to her first. I'll see if I can get her to open up. Then, when she's ready, she can come to you. Sound good?"

" _I hope they buy it. I don't want these guys to see me or any of the staff as their enemies…"_ he thought with worry.

Thankfully, they relented. Though they both gave him a sense of reluctance.

"I...I guess so," Aladar sighed.

"Marcus, I don't like this attitude Hazel is in. I hope you know what you're doing," the female flyer told him. Her fear of whatever this new Hazel would bring to the future was starting to make her think of losing her best friend to an unseen force.

"Trust me," the engineer reassured. He patted a hand against his heart as a sign of promise. "Don't worry, we'll get this sorted out."

As soon as the conversation ended, the three parted ways. Aladar and Flia headed back to the valley while Marcus made his way to the Park's cafe. Knowing the hour, he knew that most employees would start clocking out soon and head over to there for some dinner. And if he knew Hazel, she was always hungry whenever she was feeling upset. She should be a bit more open to talk about her problem.

Hopefully…

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Flashback...Two Days Ago…

Prehistoric Park had seen many rescues from prehistory ever since the sanctuary opened. Most of which involved having a close brush with death or a race against time, such as the rescue of the _Tyrannosaurus_ _rex_ twins and the Valley Herd from meteor strikes. Some of which were accidental, like Rascal the _Troodon_. And then there were the ones that were opportunistic, like the _Elasmotherium_.

But next to the Valley Herd's rescue and Aladar's grievous injuries that followed, this rescue was perhaps the most serious.

By the time the rescue team arrived back to the present, it was already night. The light blue hues of twilight in the sky already faded into the pitch blackness of night. Floodlights were already on to illuminate the Holding Pen area. Nigel, Bob, and Suzanne along with any other staff available to help a sick giant milled around the area. As soon as the portal opened, the gates of the Holding Pen were pulled out to permit the arrival of the patient.

Murmurs, gasps, and orders from various staff members erupted as they all witnessed an unconscious _Allosaurus_ being dragged into the holding pen by the chains from two large ornithopods and a jeep bearing the Prehistoric Park logo. The large body dragged onto the ground left behind large continuous trail marks, most of which came from the carnivore's head and torso.

But it was not just the appearance of the sick _Allosaurus_ that alarmed everyone. Except for Hazel and Marcus, who came in unharmed either by running through the portal or zooming through inside a jeep, all of the dinosaurs that came with them escaped with gashes on their bodies along with a few bite marks. The only exception was Flia, who had a few minor scratches here and there.

"My God...what happened?" Nigel gasped as he watched the female _Allosaurus_ be brought into the tent within the main holding pen.

"I don't know, but from what I'm seeing, it's worse than we thought," Bob offhandedly remarked. He bolted towards the holding pen to join Suzanne and her vet team, hoping to see if there was anything he could do.

While he did that, Nigel made his way to Hazel, who was climbing up to the top of one of the walls to oversee the rest of the team tend to Alyssa. As he did, he noticed the dinosaur team that accompanied the two humans being tended to by the other staff members. Their wounds looked grievous; their marks being so deep that spots of blood were pouring out, but they all knew they would heal with time. Lethe and Naomi shook off the chains that wrapped around their necks and promptly left through the gates to rejoin the rest of their comrades, a trail of dust was left in their wake. After helping to push Alyssa into the large white tent created to house the sick _Allosaurus_ , their work was done. Marcus dismounted from his jeep as soon as his chain was unhooked from the rear. He quickly went to one of the nearby ladders and began to climb it. Now standing with Hazel, Nigel was about to welcome her with a hug when he noticed something off about her appearance.

Seeing her exhausted was not so surprising, but she bore a look of horror and anger at the same time.

"Glad to see you're alright," he commented, wanting to break her out of that serious stupor.

"It's not me you should be worried about," Hazel said, not even giving her mentor a glance.

"Don't worry. You managed to bring in this beauty before anything worse could happen. Suzanne and the rest of her team are prepared to operate on our new friend here, even if it takes all night. Alyssa will be able to walk again. You'll see."

"Now," he cleared his throat, intent to move on to another topic. "While I am concerned with the well-being of our newest rescue, why do our friends look like that?"

"Why don't you ask them yourself?" she hissed at him. The sudden response caused the man to take a step back. Never once had his student been so hostile towards him before.

Hazel stormed passed her shocked mentor and made her way down the ladder. By the time she reached the ground, the Park creator was joined by his head engineer. His breaths were shallow and sweat ran down his brow from all the work he did during the rescue.

"Phew...did I miss anything?" he casually asked his boss.

"If you must know," Nigel glanced at the man in his mid-twenties. "Hazel just snapped at me."

Marcus' jaw dropped. If it were detachable, it would have landed on the wooden landing with a thump. "What!? Why!? For what!?"

"I don't know. What happened back there?"

"A lot of things," the Filipino started. "We were ambushed by a pack of _Ceratosaurus_. Aladar, Flia, Sarge, and Embo fended them off while the rest of us worked on getting Alyssa out. It was a huge surprise when a couple more came out and ambushed us while the others kept our friends busy. Naomi and Lethe managed to keep them busy, but something caused Hazel to snap at Lethe when she was about to finish one of the fuckers off."

"What did she get angry about?"

Before Marcus could give him an answer, one of the other staff members called him from within the holding pen.

"Marcus! The jeep broke down! The engine block's got a crack in it. We need some help!"

"What!?" the man exclaimed and ran his fingers through his hair. "God damnit."

The man left his superior behind on the balcony, wondering about what had happened back in the Late Jurassic that turned Hazel so hostile towards him.

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Inside the large tent, at least ten veterinarians milled about working to help the dying Alyssa. Already she was being hooked up to IV machines and a heart rate machine via plastic tubes. Computers and monitors blinked on, showing the statistics along with other programs that showed the status of the Jurassic denizen.

People wearing the trademark bright green gowns and white facemasks zoomed past her as they rushed to get the needed medical supplies from the nearby warehouse. Off in the very back of the large tent was Suzanne, who was giving out orders to her team to bring in sedatives and antibiotics. Hazel immediately ran to the head veterinarian, her worry that they may be too late in saving Alyssa.

"Suzanne!" she called out to her.

The elder woman looked over, placing her hands down from fixing a loose strand of hair that fell from her tight-fitted cap. Her expression turned into one of surprise as the young member rushed to her side.

"Hazel, I'm glad to see you're alright. I can't talk for long. The team and I need to work on the _Allosaurus_ here."

"How is she?" the girl urgently pleaded.

"Well from what we could tell," the vet told her as she led the young woman to the tent's exit. They veered around the busy staff workers and even some more equipment that Hazel had no knowledge of as they went along. "The _Allosaurus_ here is VERY malnourished. She needs constant medical attention since she was trapped near that stagnant pond for days. We haven't checked yet, but the water she drank must have had a lot of bacteria in it. She has a fever too, a really bad one at that."

"Is she going to be okay?" Hazel stood in front of the park employee. Her face was riddled with fear and worry.

The woman placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. Both of which calmly squeezed her carapace. The heat from her hands radiated through. A reassuring smile escaped the woman's mouth.

"She's going to be fine. A little food, some rest, a lot of water, and antibiotics will go a long way for her. She'll be up and about in no time."

She then lifted one of the tent flaps in the doorway. The lights from outside along with the smell of fresh air bled through the gap.

"Now go and get some rest. You've done a good job today."

"Please keep me posted," the Filipino girl offhandedly said before rushing out. The tent flap silently fell back into place behind her.

One would think that bit of good news would ease anyone's worries on the _Allosaurus_. But that only did so slightly on Hazel's mind. Her thoughts deviated elsewhere as she made her way through the Holding Pen area. Her anxiety over Alyssa's condition eased away like a retreating ocean wave. But that only paved the way for an even bigger wave.

Her anger returned as soon as she heard Aladar's voice call out to her.

"Hazel! We did it!" he said, relief permeating from his tone.

Hazel had just realized that she had unconsciously passed by the group of dinosaurs that was being tended to by the other veterinarians. Already the wounds they sustained from the battle at the pond were being wrapped in rolls of linen and gauze. Even Flia was among them, but instead of getting bandages, she was having bits of ointments being rubbed onto her scratches.

Among the dinosaur group, only the alpha Iguanodon and his flying scout were the ones to pay any attention to her. When they saw her turn towards them, they expected her to return a gratuitous gesture to them.

They were wrong.

Instead of a friendly greeting, they were met with hostility that would rival that of the _Ceratosaurus_ they fought at the pond. They had seen Hazel angry before, but they had never thought they would see her angry at them. The problem was, they had no idea why.

"Hazel? Are you okay?" Flia started, concern flooding her mind.

The human turned away, marching away at a faster rate. No reply escaped the girl's mouth.

"Hazel!?" Aladar called out.

"Leave me alone!" she hollered back.

The two fell silent as they watched their human companion storm away from them. More questions from today filled their heads as they wondered what could have caused her to act this way. Was it because the _Ceratosaurus_ attack scared her? Was she worried over their safety? Was she stressed over Alyssa's condition?

They kept on wondering, but no answer came to them.

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Prehistoric Park Cafe...Present time

Hazel stared down at her food. Her shimmering fork gingerly touched the cold gravy covered, Salisbury steak. The mashed potatoes and peas that were once piping hot were now ice cold.

The cafe's normal hours depended on the time of day. For breakfast, it was from 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM. Lunch was served between 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM. Finally, dinner was usually 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with late night meals going on till 11:00 PM. It was already early evening and she had barely touched the food that was supposed to be her normal dinner. Instead, she stayed for the entire dinner duration and was now sitting in the middle of the late night hours.

Not a lot of staff members would come to the cafe for a late night meal. But those that did would stay no more than an hour or so, unless there was a party in the area. In this case, it was quiet. The only people that were in the Jurassic Park restaurant equivalent were Hazel and the few chefs that worked in the late hours.

Today had been a dreary day. Other than helping the staff around the Park, it was really uneventful. She barely talked to anyone. She barely ate too. But most of all, Hazel did not spend any time with the Residents, her friends included. Not with what happened during Alyssa's rescue two days ago.

Hazel shut her eyes. A sharp breath hissed in her mouth as she tried to drown out the images of Aladar, Flia, and everyone else killing those _Ceratosaurus_. True, she had seen Aladar and Flia fight out of defense, but never had she seen them fight like savages.

" _No, they're not murderers_ ," Hazel denied. " _They can't be. They would never kill others unless there was a logical reason. But...they killed those Ceratosaurus. Did they forget everything I told them about the lives of carnivores?_ "

Before she could think more on the subject, the unmistakable sound of footsteps thumped behind her. Hazel jerked in her seat, startled by the sudden approach. When she turned around, she only saw the slight glimpse of movement pass by the corner of her eye. But looking again caused her to spot Marcus stand next to her at the round, white cloth-covered table. His manly hands held a white plate containing five chicken tenders, a small bowl of barbecue sauce, and a handful of sweet potato fries.

"Hey! Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he chuckled.

"You didn't scare me, but if you did," Hazel warned with a slight scowl. "I would have accidentally knocked that plate off your hands."

"Nah. If you did that, my lightning reflexes would catch it," Marcus smirked. He then gestured at the table with a knowing look. "Mind if I join you?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders. The signal allowed him to pull a seat back with a hand. The sound of wood rubbing against the wooden floor irked their ears for a moment. He sat down, his plate now in front of him. The silverware he carried in his other hand was placed next to the plate.

"Ah, nothing like some fries and fried chicken to ease you after a long day at work. I can't remember the last time the chefs here served these."

Hazel half-glared, half-frowned at him. "Two weeks ago."

"That long?" the man let out a quick breath. "Well, I guess it's been a short period of time. But I wish they'd make these sweet potato fries more often."

The explorer rolled her eyes and turned her head at him. Her face was undeterred by the amusement he tried to strike up. "What do you want Marcus? Normally, you just eat your food at your workshop or in your room. You only eat here when there are staff parties."

"Aw man...and here I just wanted to have a good conversation with you. I thought you were bummed out being alone so I wanted to keep you company."

Hazel gave him an even more menacing glare. The likes of which caused the engineer to lean away from the disturbed reaction. "Marcus..."

"Oh alright...you got me," he said. Though he was busted, he did not let the feeling of being found out bring him down. He was on a mission, and he intended to see it through. And he did promise Aladar, Flia, and even Nigel that he would bring her around. Before he arrived at the cafe, Marcus called his boss to let him know of the situation and to see where Hazel would be at that time. As soon as Nigel got the news of what was causing Hazel to act this way, he immediately volunteered to come along. He too was adjusting to the notion of Survival of the Fittest not agreeing with most animals in the natural world, but the fact that his own student was having an internal conflict regarding it made him want to bring her back to her senses. Marcus turned his offer down, and it was for the best because his involvement would probably upset Hazel more.

"I'm just a little worried about you," he told her. By extent, he was representing everyone who worried about her since the recent rescue.

"Are you now?" she coyly replied.

"Yeah. You haven't been talking a lot, you shooed Nigel away even though you never do that, and you've been avoiding the Residents. Or trying to at least. What's going on Hazel? You're never like this."

"You know, you shouldn't ask things that you already know," the time traveler sneered at him. "It's not polite."

"Okay fine. Yeah, I know why you're like this," Marcus scoffed, undeterred by the 20-year old's hostile demeanor. "It's about that _Ceratosaurus_ ambush and what happened to most of them."

"Marcus, our friends killed them off! Out of cold blood too!" Hazel shouted. Her outburst made her stand up and slam the table with her fisted hands. The silverware clattered in their place and the plates were lifted off their positions a little. "Didn't I tell them that carnivores had their own way of life? That the only way they could survive would be to eat others? And don't think I forgot about what Diablo told me last year. That guy may be a dick at times, but I never forgot about what he told me regarding a carnivore's role in nature. Those _Ceratosaurus_ were only hunting because they needed to sustain themselves. The least we could have done was to send them on their way. Instead, our 'friends' just murdered them!"

Marcus winced at the word "murder". The idea that their friends killing off some innocent carnivores was hard to take in. But from what he believed, murder was something where a person would do so if they had evil intent. Aladar and his companions were not that. The idea was just too unbelievable. No, he knew there was more to their motives, and this woman needed to be reminded of that.

"Hazel, you know they couldn't help it."

The girl slammed her hands on the table again. The tableware clattered and shook. Even the sauce bowl that Marcus had in his bowl tipped over, spilling all of the barbecue sauce on the plate.

"What!? No, it's SO simple!"

The engineer shook his head. "No, it's not. You're trying to get them to change in a short period of time. It may be easy for us, but not for them."

Hazel scoffed. Her right hand met her forehead and her fingers rubbed her eyes. A distressed groan sounded from her throat. "What the hell? What are you getting at? It's just an easy way of thinking. When Kron was the leader, the Herd thought of his Darwinist approach as the only thing that governs their lives. When Aladar came in, they saw that compassion, support, and working together were the way to go. Granted Nero was against that notion but he was an exception. So it should be easy for them to convert to our way of thinking."

"Still not as easy as you think," Marcus quickly replied, though he did take his associate's words into consideration.

Hazel's hand fell back to her side. Her eyes met his in a deadpan manner. "What...?"

The engineer sighed. He knew full well that his simple explanation would not work. Hazel was the type of person that would need some persuasion to agree to a different perspective. She was a pretty stubborn person, mostly when it was involving those she cared about. Thankfully, Marcus had a lot of practice with reassuring people in the past...and conversing with higher ups. Hazel may not be his boss but he nonetheless treated her with a lot of respect. He was prepared for this.

"Well think of it this way. You've got two people with their own preferences on their fandoms," he started. He used his hands to represent two separate groups; their palms open as if they would hold something inside. As he explained, he lifted each hand up depending on which group they were in. "You've got one person who's into Red vs Blue because of the action, story plot, and the fact that it's based in the Halo universe. Then you've got another person who's into My Little Pony because they're into pretty ponies AND hidden adult jokes. The Red vs Blue fan is convincing the other guy to check out his show because he says it's awesome. The other guy isn't quite sure because he's not into the animation or the violence. Time and time again, the RvB fan would ask his buddy to watch the show, and eventually, he checked it out. The new series looked a bit jarring to him because he wasn't used to it. The story may be cool, but he's not used to a show like that. If he decides to keep watching Red vs Blue because he likes it, then the other guy succeeded. If not, then the other fan just has his preferences."

The young recruit scoffed again. Her eyes tore away from him for a moment before returning with the same seriousness as before. "What does this have to do with Survival of the Fittest?"

"I'm trying to say that my example is the same thing you're having a problem with. I wasn't happy with them killing those dinosaurs. But you gotta understand that they were doing what they had to so we could stay alive. I may not be much of a biologist, and I don't have as much experience with seeing 'Nature's bad side' firsthand...well except with Nero and the stories you told me, but that's not the point. The Residents you and Nigel have been rescuing, they're from time periods where you gotta be on top to survive. Cause if you don't, you're as good as dead. You, me, Nigel, and all the staff here may see every Resident like other human beings, but they're not like us. Heck, here we are, telling them that everyone that tries to kill them is sentient and therefore deserves to live. A number of them may be converting to that philosophy, but even that won't happen overnight. Some of them think of that idea as a load of baloney. Aladar, Flia, and everyone else has 'Survival of the Fittest' ingrained in their minds. Right now, they're testing the waters. You push someone into a pool full of cold water, they're going to be pissed. They need to get used to it at their own pace."

Hazel sighed. Marcus had a point. The Residents were pulled from time periods that were more dangerous than life in the 21st century. Survival was all they knew, and it was what they were born with. Instinct wasn't something they could avoid. Sure they could be taught new things and learn new perspectives, but that Darwinist approach is something that's inescapable. Aladar and his companions did what they needed to in order to protect them. They viewed the _Ceratosaurus_ as a threat, and if they were not dealt with promptly, neither of them would be alive. They were following the laws of nature even though they were slowly turning away from it.

In a world where everything could be a danger, one needed to be tough. There were two outcomes that would result in a world like this. It's either you fight to keep on living, or you kill for sustenance. Before she met the Valley Herd, or received her new power, Hazel was used to that kind of thing. She thought nothing of it. Now that she connected with her friends in a civilized level, she saw other creatures having a form of humanity.

The dark-haired explorer thought back to the numerous times she came across the term "Survival of the Fittest", specifically when she went on her solo mission. The _Velociraptors_ lived in an area devoid of food, so it was natural to come after her. When Kron made those rash decisions of getting the herd moving even without the presence of water and pushing them onward through the desert with little rest, she slowly began to see how wrong Survival of the Fittest was. His actions killed a number of the herd members. Then there was Diablo and his mate. They were only doing what was necessary to keep living, even if it meant killing off the herd and her friends. Diablo's mate died because Kron's former accomplice, Bruton, sacrificed himself by causing the cave roof to collapse on the predators. This situation was no different.

"I guess you're right. This kind of thing is going to take a while for them to get used to. And it'll take me a while to adjust to their way of thinking. Looks like we all have a lot to learn."

Marcus chuckled softly. "Right. In the future, if all the Residents see our way of thinking as right, then koodles to us. If not, we'll just have to accept it."

Hazel sat back down. The nerves that were tense in her head started to ease up. "What about the friendships we made? Wouldn't this kind of thing turn everyone away?"

He waved a hand dismissively. His motion was akin to a child pushing a disgusting bowl of food away. "Pfft...no. Regardless of what we think, it won't change the way they view us. Just give them time and see what happens."

The girl scrunched the side of her mouth in reluctance. "Okay..."

"Now I hope you don't mind," the man said. His fingers grabbed onto one of the large pieces of fried chicken that was covered in most of the barbecue sauce. "But I really want to eat my chicken tenders."

She chuckled at that and grabbed her plate. Hazel got back up and turned around, making her way to the microwaves at the far end of the cafeteria. "I suppose I should heat my food up too."

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Later that night...

The Park soon became quiet as the late afternoon turned into evening. The bustling activity that the staff members created died down as soon as the sun fell behind the mountains. The dark blues hues in the sky brought about the celestial bodies that twinkled each night. Small bits of clouds dotted the night tapestry. Though it was hot and muggy that day, the temperature that night was surprisingly cool. Crickets sang their tunes in the herald of the cool evening.

All of the Residents had already gone to bed. Most of which slept in their designated enclosures peacefully. Alyssa the Allosaurus, due to being seriously ill, had to be placed under a short-term induced coma. She was hooked up to special IVs that fed her liquid food and water through tubes through her mouth, just so she could get her strength back up. Miraculously, Alyssa's fever seemed to be going down, meaning her recovery was slowly progressing.

While all of the park was quiet, not everyone found it easy to sleep. Aladar and Flia were still bothered by how a certain human treated them. For the past hour or so, they remained near the border of the Elephant Herd Grounds. Since it was so close to the main hub of the park AND was where the humans would come and visit the herd, they dubbed this area as the primary meeting place. The purple Pteranodon paced around her stationary superior in a circle, occassionally looking down the hill for any incoming visitors.

"Do you think Marcus succeeded in talking to her?" Flia anxiously asked, apparently for the third time that hour.

"Flia, you already asked that. I'm sure Marcus spoke with Hazel. He's not one to go back on his own word."

"Okay fine, but he should have let us know he was done by now. What's taking him so long?"

Aladar looked down the hill, seeing no sign of the engineer in sight. The night covered most of details of anything close to them. "Maybe he got a bite to eat?"

"So late at this time?" the flyer glared at him for a moment before walking again.

"Hey, that guy works nearly nonstop. Give him a break."

"Great...so what do we do now?"

"Wait for Marcus," he proclaimed. "Once he's done talking to her, Hazel will come around."

"And when will that be?" Flia asked, placing her winged fingers on her sides like a person would with placing their hands on their hips.

Her answer came sooner than expected. The sound of soft footfalls on semi-dry grass alerted them to the presence of an intruder. Both of them snapped their heads back, startled at the sudden arrival. To their surprise, it was just a small human wearing a purple tank and dark capris. Her black hair blew free around her when a small breeze wafted through them. Her eyes were weary and slightly red, signifying a short period of crying.

The woman stopped just inches before them. Her tear-ridden eyes staring at them in a gut-wrenching way.

"Hey..." she uttered, her voice slightly cracking.

"Hazel," Aladar started. "I...didn't expect to see you at this time. I thought you'd be off to bed."

She wiped an arm over her eyes to wipe her tears for a moment. "Couldn't sleep."

The Cretaceous denizens knew that Marcus succeeded in knocking some sense into Hazel. He would have failed if she never approached them. What they did not know was he told her where they would be at or that they would still be awake at that time.

Flia took a few tentative steps towards her. Her movements failed to conceal her apprehension over Hazel exploding at them. "Is something wrong?"

The Prehistoric Park employee gulped, and uttered an unexpected proclamation. "I'm...sorry, for snapping at you earlier. It was uncalled for and it was wrong of me to do so."

"Hazel, we're your friends," Aladar said. His concern and compassion clear on his features. "Why would you do something like that? Was it something we did?"

Hazel sighed. Her arms lifted for a bit to show her resignation. "Sort of...it's just the ambush from two days ago really affected me. You killed those Ceratosaurus. I know what you did was out of the need to protect...but they were attacking out of instinct. Carnivores like them need flesh to sustain themselves. What they did and what they strived for does not make them evil. Seeing you kill them disturbed me."

Hearing that hurt them. The two realized why Hazel had treated them with such scorn. It wasn't because they put themselves in danger. It was because in their drive to protect, they took away lives. Aladar never killed anything in his life, but Flia did in the past. However, her actions were only out of defense. Neither of them were murderers, but Hazel saw them as killers at that moment days ago.

They were about to make their defense when they saw her continue to speak.

"But I've been doing some thinking on that. You and I know that we're against Survival being the only thing that governs nature. But it's nature that is not the easiest thing to turn away from. What you did was out of your need to defend everyone. Had you not intervened, none of us would be here, and Alyssa would not be having the medical attention she needs. So I get it. What you did back there was a natural reaction, and so I can't be mad at you for something like that."

"Hazel-" the alpha started, wanting to settle her emotional turmoil and to defend their actions in the field.

"I'm not asking you to change either," she continued. "If there's anyone here that needs to change their way of thinking, it's me. Your perspective in defense is something I'm not accustomed to, and therefore I need to adjust."

It was a relief to hear she was not against their actions. But the thought of them doing what they did to the Ceratosaurus left them with a sense of guilt. The humans in the valley viewed all of the Residents with a sense of sentience. No matter how dangerous they were, they were regarded with the utmost respect. Flia and Aladar, along with most of the herbivorous Residents, viewed carnivores as evil beings who thought of nothing but to kill them all. But that wasn't until Hazel came into their lives and they started living in Prehistoric Park.

They were introduced to a new view of a carnivore's life. The meat-eating Residents all had a story to tell. Because they were tended to by the Park staff, they had no reason to see everyone else as food or as an enemy. They were friendly...for the most part. The only exception was Diablo, who still bore a grudge due to the death of his mate and his attempts at slaughtering the Valley Herd were thwarted.

But the crisis they were in back in the Jurassic left no room for compassion. Aladar, Flia, and those that were with them knew that.

"Hazel," Aladar looked at Flia for a moment, and she did in return. Then they returned their gazes back to the human. "We're sorry we disturbed you. From our time here in Prehistoric Park, we learned that not all carnivores are the monsters we used to see them as."

"But while we do sense that they have their reasons to do as they do," Flia continued where he left off. "There are those that do not follow that accord. Those beasts that attacked us back then were driven to kill. We were not raised by your beliefs, where carnivores were not born evil. We know that was against everything you taught us, but if we did not do something, then they would have killed you."

Hazel gave them a quick nod. She took in a breath then exhaled to rid of some of the anguish. "I know. That's why I won't go against your way of thinking. After all, you can't transform a carnivore into a vegetarian, unless they are willing."

"Or if they spend a day with Bruno and his tribe," Aladar playfully chided.

The resulting laughter filled the air for a few moments. Then silence became dominant again.

"So...I guess we're cool now?" Hazel shrugged her shoulders and a sheepish smile creased her face.

"If that's your way of settling a conflict, then yes," Flia chuckled.

"Phew...good," Hazel shared a lighthearted laugh. The trio of friends then embraced in a hug. The blue-green Iguanodon used one of his hooves to hold the other two girls close to his chest. Flia and Hazel both wrapped their arms or wings around his neck. Each of them shared their warmth, easing each other in the cooling night. Their moment of intimacy lasted for what seemed to be several minutes.

Hazel tore away from the group, now happy that the situation was resolved. She watched the two other friends relax and watch her with friendly gazes. She then looked back towards the park, with another thought crossing her mind. "I'd better apologize to Nigel too. He's probably pissed at me for snapping at him."

The next response came from Aladar. What he said made the woman want to give him a playful slap on the shoulder.

"Nigel? Mad at you? Nah, he wouldn't. But worst case scenario, he'll probably make you do something heinous like make you babysit Espantos."

"Oh God no!" she palmfaced. If there was one Resident that would make anyone go nuts, it was the Park's Terror Bird. His childlike antics and simple-minded thinking would annoy even the most serious of individuals. "Anything but that!"

The duo prehistoric creatures laughed at her reaction. Hazel joined in moments later, taking in the obvious joke.

"I uh...I think I'll head to bed now. I'll talk to Nigel in the morning. I think he can wait a little longer."

"Alright. Goodnight Hazel," Flia waved at her.

"Goodnight," Aladar added as well.

"Night guys. See you tomorrow," she said and turned away to head to the Park barracks.

Not long after she departed, Aladar and Flia left as well. Flia made her way to one of the many cliffsides in the west side of the park. For the past several months, she claimed those areas as part of her territory. In fact, Flia always stayed there whenever the Herd came to the Nesting Grounds every year. As for Aladar, he made his way through the Herd Plains until he came upon a closely huddled group of _Iguanodons_ several yards from the lake shore. The younglings were all blue, green, pink, or purple hues and were sleeping close to each other in a tight circle. The adult that slept around them had a mixture of pink and purple in her tones and was much slenderer in appearance than he was.

The alpha _Iguanodon_ slowly approached his family while making sure not to make a lot of sound. He quietly yawned and slumped onto his stomach, just behind his loving mate. His head rested next to hers, close enough for him to make an embrace if needed.

The anguish of the last few days fell away into memory.

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The Next Day...Prehistoric Park Infirmary

Hazel and Flia silently watched the small group of veterinarians from afar. Their hustling activity on the medical equipment along with the heavy nylon now being draped over their large patient put them slightly on edge. The _Allosaurus'_ eyes remained shut. Her breathing could be heard from the entrance into the warehouse. The sounds of her snores were akin to a person with breathing problems, but they knew that sound was normal for a large carnivore.

They also knew better than to stay near a sick creature. The vets had facemasks on to prevent the possibility of getting sick from the disease Alyssa had. What she had may be a fever, but neither of them wanted to risk getting sick too. Flia and Hazel knew that, and chose to stay away for the time being.

Earlier that day, the vet team got one of the trucks to transport Alyssa to the Prehistoric Park Infirmary warehouse. Team members usually used this building to tend to the larger Residents in the Park. Since the Holding Pens were designed to just hold recent rescues for a brief period of time before transporting them to their new enclosures, bringing Alyssa to the Infirmary was a must. The trucks the park had were also spacious enough to hold a young _Tyrannosaurus_ _Rex_. The only time they would need to use the wheeled platforms with harnesses would be if they dealt with animals that were even larger. If they were bigger, they would need to attach those platforms with others using hooks.

In this case, Alyssa was transported via the Park truck. Some time ago, before Hazel started living in the Park, Terrence, one of the Tyrannosaurus Rex twins, had to be transported in one to the infirmary after he had a scuffle with his sister Matilda. Transporting a fully grown Allosaurus was no different.

The two scouts just spoke with head vet Suzanne minutes ago on Alyssa's condition. According to her, Alyssa's condition was improving. Her fever was lower than the day before and her heart rate was returning to normal. It was only a matter of time before she could be released from the barbiturate drugs and be sent to her newly built enclosure.

The news of Alyssa's improvement relieved the two explorers. They were happy to know that Alyssa was in good hands. The morning also brought in improvement in Hazel's social life as well. She managed to apologize to Nigel that morning during breakfast regarding her rude behavior three days ago. She would never snap at a fellow employee and would never lash out at those who looked after her in the past. Her actions from that day were unfair and unjust. Thankfully, Nigel forgave her, for he too sympathized with her internal conflict regarding Survival of the Fittest. He was a scientist, and therefore accepted the idea of Darwinism. But like most of the employees in the Park, he was slowly veering away from it due to their new privilege of speaking with the Residents. The survival idea was not for everyone though, and it was something he would have to accept as well.

While the issue of Alyssa's sickness and Hazel's internal conflict were resolved for the most part, not everything could easily be moved on within a few nights.

"Well...I'd say this mission was a success," Flia commented as she looked on at the large warehouse that could hold a plane or two. The metal scaffolding that lined the ceiling along with the various human contraptions still boggled her mind. "Despite that fight at the disgusting pond, the rescue was quick and easy. I was expecting to be in that time for longer."

Hazel smirked for a moment. "Yeah...it was pretty fast."

Her expression turned into a frown. A sense of incompleteness and disappointment fell over her. "It went off without a hitch..."

Flia was too preoccupied with the vets working on Alyssa to notice something was bothering her partner. What she did not know was that Hazel was not too happy with the mission. Rescuing Alyssa from the pond AND finding her was a little too easy. The _Ceratosaurus_ ambush did make things difficult, but the fact that Hazel came over prepared to the Late Jurassic with contingencies only to end up being all for naught did not satisfy her. In short, it didn't feel completed since it didn't follow how she thought it would go.

Not to mention easy rescues like this were rarely seen in Prehistoric Park. From the stories she was told along with the few rescues Hazel experienced in the past, Park missions usually were more harrowing and often involved even bigger problems. Sure Alyssa's rescue was easy and the Park finally had an Allosaurus, but that was the thing. It was TOO easy. And the Park only has one more carnivore to add to its roster thanks to this mission.

No, this mission wasn't enough. The overall rescue speed of this _Allosaurus_ did not satisfy her. The trip was...in a way...boring. It wasn't as exciting as her first rescues with Nigel in Late Cretaceous Mongolia and the Late Triassic, nor was it as harrowing as the escape from the meteor strike that nearly killed the Valley Herd last year. The Park needed something else; something to save its exciting rescue streak from disappearing. Something like...

Hazel's eyes widened. She grabbed onto Flia by one of her wings and pulled her from the warehouse. The pterosaur shrieked in pain as small fingers pulled on her delicate membrane. Her movement turned from hopping on one foot to going on her three free limbs.

"Ow ow! Hazel! That hurts!" she squawked.

"Sorry, but we need to see Nigel. Now!" Hazel demanded.

"Why?"

Hazel shot a smile at her, the likes of which unnerved the pterosaur a bit.

"We're going to request a 'do over'."

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Prehistoric Park Time Portal...Hours later

Convincing Nigel to permit another rescue in the Late Jurassic was easy. All she had to emphasize was that she and Flia encountered another species of _Allosaurus_ living alongside the common species in that part of the country. Getting two different species of the same genus would be an interesting addition to the Park's roster of Residents. Nigel was not opposed to the idea of another rescue from the Jurassic and was intrigued by their accounts of a "yellow-skinned" _Allosaurus_. The only detail she left out was what happened to that one _Allosaurus_...she did not want to bring up any emotional spectacles to the meeting.

Preparing for the trip back was even easier. All Hazel had to do was get everything together from her room and fetch Flia's saddle from the Park's equipment warehouse.

Figuring out where to find a large, nearly 40-foot long carnosaur once they arrived? That was going to be slightly difficult.

It was already early afternoon by the time they reached the deactivated Time Portal. The skies were starting to become overcast, but the humidity was still on the rise. The only person that came along with them was Nigel, who only came along to activate the Time Portal for them. Unlike that morning, where some employees were dismantling the emergency tent in the Holding Pens that once held the sick Alyssa, the area was almost deserted. All the employees were in the other parts of the Park, tending to the other Residents.

The two scouts watched the head zoologist make his way to one of the silver spires. He opened a panel with the handle on its side with ease. His fingers pressed away at the buttons inside, punching in the time they would arrive in.

"Alright, so you two will be going back to the Late Jurassic," he obviously pointed out without taking a glance at them. "But you'll be going back to at least 5 years in the future. Since you didn't see many _Allosaurus_ back then, maybe going to a further point in time will bring in some luck. And maybe you'll spot some other creatures as well."

"Okay," Hazel nodded.

"And if you don't find any luck in that time, just head back here so we can plan for the next trip," he added. Now finished with putting in the coordinates, Nigel slammed the panel shut and made his way to them.

"Yes, yes Nigel. We know," Flia waved a wing dismissively at him. He really did not need to mention that. They already knew what to do anyway.

Nigel's gaze switched over to something past them. His demeanor turned into slight surprise and then relaxed. He moved away a few steps until he was about ten feet away. Nigel's odd action confused the two and caused them to turn around to see why he moved away. Their answer for his reaction came in the form of a large male Iguanodon slowly striding towards them. His green eyes, sea-colored hide and confident features gave away his identity.

"Aladar," Hazel said, looking upon the dinosaur that was now a few feet before them. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you off," he told them.

"What? Like a send-off? That's new," the human smirked.

"Well, I just felt that you didn't really get a proper one last time you left," he looked over at Nigel, who was not paying any attention to them now. His gaze was over at the Holding Pens for any other employees who were looking for him. "Sort of. So I'm here to see you go."

"Okay...?" Hazel chuckled at the sudden response she got.

"Aladar, we're just going to be gone for a couple days. It's not like we're going on a long trip or anything," Flia pointed out. Her feelings on her superior were of him about to get worked up on them leaving. She didn't strike him as a worrier, but he does have the potential.

"I know. Just be careful out there, all right?" the ornithopod cocked an eye ridge at them. "If you don't come back within the next few days, I'm going to demand Nigel to send me so I can haul you back."

"What? Did someone call me?"

The trio looked over nearby to see said Park creator with intrigue on his features. His lips were slightly pursed and his eyebrows raised.

"Nothing Nigel! We were just joking around!" the Filipino reassured him.

They immediately burst into laughter, except for poor Nigel, who had no idea what they were talking about. The two scouts then prepared for thei departure. Hazel mounted on Flia via her saddle while the _Pteranodon_ herself stretched her wings apart for takeoff.

Nigel reached down into his pocket and took out a small remote. His thumb touched a button on its carapace, and the item flashed blue. The portal before them whirled to life. A large puddle-looking wormhole illuminated the area for a moment before dying down. The feel of scorching desert air touched their skins.

"Be careful out there!" Aladar hollered out over the whirring of the portal.

Both Flia and Hazel took a glance at him and smiled. The two took off into the air and zoomed into the portal. Their disappearing forms resulted in ripples that permeated the portal. As soon as their bodies were gone, the wormhole shrank and dissipated, leaving a lone time traveler and an alpha _Iguanodon_ behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Late Jurassic Period, 145 million years ago...

When a rescue happens in Prehistoric Park, those going back in time would usually end up in designated locations. The Time Portals that Prehistoric Park uses had a feature where a person could input coordinates and the time they would arrive in. Usually, if someone was going back to a time in a specific range for a second time, they would pick a different location to start their search.

But in this case, Hazel and Flia ended up in the same place they arrived in a few days ago in their perspective. It was the same arid valley with sparse vegetation, desert-like appearance and baking hot conditions. The cliffside they flew down was the same too.

Only...it wasn't. The amount of vegetation was even scarcer than last time. The small ponds that were positioned here and there in the valley were all dried up. Small gusts of wind caused clouds of dust to blow away in a cloud that would spread out before settling. Most of all, there were no dinosaurs present. The only testament that there was anything living there were the skeletons of herbivores that lay scattered in the formation. Their bodies were skin and bone. The flesh they had reduced to nothing but dried remains.

Hazel and Flia had returned to the Jurassic Period in the middle of a drought.

"Hazel, I doubt we'll find much here. Anyone would have to be crazy to live in a place like this," Flia said despondent.

"Let's keep looking. There's bound to be a few stragglers still around," Hazel said confidently. "Remember, where there are plant-eaters, predators aren't far behind."

And so they searched onward. Minutes turned into hours as they circled around the valley. They found small groups of ornithopods consisting of _Dryosaurus_ and _Drinker_ , but no luck on large carnivores. There was a very small group of _Camptosaurus_ that was looking around for any available puddles to drink from, but even they were having trouble with surviving in this place.

The only carnivores they found were _Tanycolagreus_ , _Coelurus_ , and _Stokesosaurus_. They were doing the best they can to survive in these arid conditions. They witnessed both the _Tanycolagreus_ and _Stokesosaurus_ try their luck on the small ornithopods, but neither of them landed a kill. Their ribs showed and they appeared thinner than the last members of their species they encountered. The drought was upon them like a metal hammer as they were starving to death. The _Coelurus_ was the only one who was not involved in hunting. Instead, the small carnivore was scoping out the landscape for a place to escape the heat.

It was clear the drought was a serious one. The small herbivores were all digging on the ground for edible roots or scanning the land for some available vegetation. As time went on, the day seemed to get even hotter.

Hazel and Flia resorted to looking on the ground for signs so basic like footprints and scat. Sure enough they did find footprints, but they either belonged to fleet-footed ornithopods, large herbivores, or small carnivores. They found no sign of any large predator that could eat a human in one bite.

While the _Pteranodon_ was looking in one direction, the human noticed a small flock of small pterosaurs circling around in her 3:00 position. Eyeing their flight patterns, which showed they were slowly descending down somewhere, she deduced they were after a rotten carcass in that part of the valley. The dried shrubbery covered whatever they were after, so she could not make out their potential meal. She had a hard time making out what kind of pterosaur it was, but she noticed they had long ribbon-like tails that ended in a small paddle. The heat that rose from the ground made it difficult for her to make out their exact forms.

She was about to attract Flia's attention to show her she was not the only flyer. The _Pteranodon_ would have welcomed the sight of fellow pterosaurs in a time so distant from the one she came from. But by the time she looked back, the small flyers were gone.

"Ugh...it's hopeless. This place isn't showing us anything," Flia groaned.

"We'll have to find another area with better greenery if we're going to find some luck," Hazel reassured with a pat on the Cretaceous scout's neck bone.

"Come on," the human urged. "Let's get-"

 ***ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR***

A pair of jaws narrowly missed Flia as she dodged an incoming bite from a large carnivore.

"Holy shit!" the time traveler screamed. She ducked her head close to her shoulders. Her hands gripped tighter on the saddle loop made for riders to hang onto.

The _Pteranodon_ took evasive action. The crested flyer flapped her wings vigorously, propelling them through the air. What was once a casual speed became a speedy getaway as the land around them zoomed past. Adrenaline rushed through their veins like little bugs under their skin.

Flia had no time to turn around to see their attacker. Hazel, on the other hand, did. The creature that attacked them was medium-sized, about 15 feet long. The skin was the color of milk chocolate, complete with yellow stripes along its back. The top of its head and entire neckline were terracotta in hue. The flesh-eater lacked any head orientation, no eye crests, and no nose horns either. Though it was still a small carnivore, it still had the capabilities to kill them. The two had encountered this sort of creature before, back when they first came to the Jurassic Period.

It was a _Marshosaurus_.

"Move it Flia!" Hazel ordered. She kept glancing back at the predator, only to see that it was gaining on them.

"I'm trying! But you're too heavy!" Flia complained.

Hazel stammered at the indirect insult. "What!? Are you calling me fat!? I barely ate anything the past few days!"

"No I mean what you brought! It's weighing me down! Couldn't you have brought less items with you!?"

"Less talking, more flying!"

As Flia zipped across the valley, the air got hotter and hotter. One would think flying at a break neck speed would bring some relief from the heat. It depends on the situation. If there is lack of wind and it was a very hot day, the temperature in flight would not make much difference. The breezes that wafted passed them only succeeded in putting dust in their eyes.

Both individuals had to shut their eyes to avoid getting blinded. The predator behind was getting closer. Due to it being lithe in form and having strong legs, the _Marshosaurus_ could run for long periods of time. And it was not letting up until these two strange newcomers became its next meal.

"Can't you fly a little higher!?" Hazel blurted out in earnest.

"Can't..." Flia gasped. Her flapping started to become slower as they progressed. Her breathing became long and hollow. "Getting...tired..."

"Shitballs! Get to the valley edge! We'll try to lose him there!"

On and on they flew. The _Marshosaurus_ got more relentless in its attempts at getting its meal. The creature would jump at them, jaws at the ready, only for Flia to dodge out of the way in time with a barrel roll or moving to the sides. Its roars became frustrated with each passing minute. Its breathing basically on their backs.

Just then, the two heard a cracking up ahead. Looking forward, they saw one of the barren trees leaning out towards the left. Its foundations gave way from an injury at its base. They had no idea how it got that injury, or how it was able to stay upright for so long, but that did not matter. The trunk seemed pretty thick; the diameter looked to be as big as a tire. If that thing fell on them, they could suffocate to death, if they were not caught by the _Marshosaurus_.

"Faster Flia!" Hazel urged on. "Faster!"

Flia did not ignore that command. She beat her wings faster to gain speed. The tree slowly fell; the distance from the ground was getting shorter and shorter.

Just when it was about to crash on them, Flia beat her wings one more time, propelling them forward. The arboreal vegetation crashed on the desert earth, causing dust and dirt to flit in the air for a moment. Splinters of wood splattered all around.

"Phew...that was close..." the human wiped the sweat from her forehead with a hand.

Their escape was fleeting.

 ***ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAR***

Hazel whirled around. Her fears spiked once again. The _Marshosaurus_ that they thought they escaped was not deterred by the temporary setback. The dust that was kicked up did nothing to stun him. He merely just hopped over the fallen tree.

"Shit shit shit! Flia go faster! Must go faster!"

"I can't..." Flia wheezed. Her wings once again slowed in their flapping pace. "Too tired..."

Their speed died down. The trees, dried shrubbery, and rocks they zoomed past gradually moved slower and slower in their vision. But it was not without a bit of hope. Through all that flying, they managed to get to the edge of the valley. The wide expanse of desert was set out before them.

The scouts slowly flitted across the natural gateway. The hot air wafted through them once more as they entered this unforgiving part of the Salt Plains.

The shrieking roar returned once again. Hazel turned around, her face now even more frantic than ever. The _Marshosaurus_ was right on their heels.

The creature took one great leap, its foot claws and arm talons outstretched from its body. It was ready to bring them down to tear them apart.

Hazel could do nothing but scream. Flia was too exhausted to take evasive action. The desert had drained her stamina.

Suddenly, a large shape loomed over them. At first, it looked like a giant log that was slimming on one side, except logs did not fly on their own. Nor were they flexible either. The huge object slammed onto the predator from above. Its body was pushed forcefully onto the gritty terrain. A small shriek escaped its maw as body shook from the weight of the large behemoth.

The predator flopped onto its side. Its legs now sprawled out. The _Marshosaurus_ gasped weakly before it became still. Its breathing became dragged out. Whatever hit it merely knocked it out.

"Wha-what was that!?" Flia breathed out. Her sleepy trance was broken by the sudden appearance of the mysterious savior.

Hazel looked at the large object that loomed near them. What she thought was a log turned out to be something far from it. It was lightish grey with small spines dotting the top. The end of the thing had black and white stripes at the tip, and it curled around in the air like a large strand of grass in the wind.

What had saved them from becoming Jurassic lunch was a large tail.

"A huge tail, that's what," Hazel confirmed. "A sauropod from the looks of it. But who did it?"

When both scouts looked over to their right, they saw a form that they were both startled and yet, happy to see. It was a large sauropod with huge spines running along its back. Some parts of its back had small spines that reduced so much they seemed nonexistent. Even a small portion at the base of its long neck looked a little blunt; a past injury perhaps. The long neck ended with a head that looked horse like except not. The head was too elongate and narrow to be like the mammal. The eyes were small for its head size too. The teeth of the herbivore were peg-like and stuck out of the tip of its mouth a little.

Both Flia and Hazel knew what they were looking at. They encountered this creature during their first trip in the Jurassic. The sight of the Diplodocus made the human squeal in excitement.

But what came next shocked them immensely.

"Well I do say," the stranger said in a dialect like a southerner. "It has been quite some time since we've last met. Fancy meeting you again."

They could not help but gawk at the welcoming sight of the _Diplodocus_ as Hazel found her voice again from her sudden surprise.

"Ch-Charles?"


	7. In the Midst of Giants Once More

_Hey guys, Darksage and Marc here with the next chapter in Prehistoric Revolution. Sorry about the long wait._

 _Now just a few notes before reading…_

 _You may notice a few things that allude to other media in this chapter. We don't own those._

 _You'll also notice a slight change in the time range in this story. In Dinosaur Revolution: The Watering Hole, the time span is about 11 years. In this story, we're making it 5 years to avoid any time issues._

 _ **Disclaimer: We don't own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, Dinosaur Revolution, or Walking with Dinosaurs (Ballad of Big Al). They belong to their respective owners.**_

 _ **Soundtrack: Time of the Titans by Benjamin Bartlett**_

Crossing the scorching desert of Jurassic North America was a herd of 10 titanic sauropods with two unusual hitchhikers on the lead dinosaur's back _._ Their surroundings were nearly bleached white, cracked desert sands with no plant life anywhere on the horizon. The herd had been traveling for the past couple of weeks, but for the time travelers who had just arrived, they had only reacquainted themselves recently. Despite the parched environment,Flia and Hazel were just glad to see a familiar, albeit older acquaintance. In fact, the two had situated themselves in between a gap of spines on their old friend's back. The gap, as they discovered from their companion, resulted from a tussle with another large carnivore within the Salt Plains. It was ironic that a wound like that would provide a perfect resting place for a couple of time travelers, and a place where they would converse closely to a large sauropod.

"Well my dear friends, whatever have you been up to for all these years away?" Charles inquired as he glanced to his passengers on his back. It was still jarring that the young male the Sky-Scouts met days ago, in their perspective, gained a dialect more akin to a distinguished Southern Planter's voice. Now he may already have had that dialect before, but his maturity really showed more sophistication in his tone.

"Hazel and I have been… very busy for the last few days?" Flia finished as a question, the radical time change confusing the pterosaur scout.

Charles just raised an eye ridge at the vague response. "Just the last few days? What of the five-year absence since we last met in my youth?"

"It's a long story Charles," Hazel said with an amused smirk. "The long trip to your feeding grounds wouldn't give us enough time to fully explain the specifics of what we've been up to."

"You two are by far the most peculiar individuals I have ever come across the Salt Plains," the alpha _Diplodocus_ chuckled as he shifted his focus forward again.

"How have you been Charles? Anything interesting while we were away?" At the young woman's questioning, Charles had to mull around his answer in his head before responding.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary, my dear Hazel. Ever since your departure all those years ago, I have been dutifully leading my Herd to our greener pastures." Charles said. However, the titanic sauropod's posture drooped slightly before he spoke again. "But it is to my great displeasure to inform you that the Salt Plains have been going through something of an early Scorch Season—a 'drought' if you will—as of late."

"Is it serious?" Flia asked with some concern.

"No, not at all. One of the many down sides of living in places like this is that we are all subject to the Sun's whims." Charles promptly replied. "It is indeed unusually drier for this time of year, but it is not completely unheard of. This is the reason we are traveling to the Water Hole for a pit stop.

"I just hope that this early Scorch Season hasn't dried up the plants at our Feeding Grounds."

Hazel and Flia secretly gave each other a knowing glance. Charles has practically given the Flight duo an opening to reveal the real reason they were there.

"Soo Charles," Flia coyly started. "Let's just say, hypothetically speaking, that me and Hazel know of a place that has even MORE food than what the Salt Plains have to offer."

Hazel continued off her partner, "Yeah, and this _hypothetical_ place is a land where you wouldn't need to worry about carnivores chasing you. A place where both herbivores and carnivores can coexist in peace. Would you move your herd there?"

Perplexed at his odd passengers, Charles halted his herd's procession to fully acknowledge them. Twisting his long neck around, he gave Flia and Hazel a confused look. "Erm… If we are speaking of 'what if's', then I believe I wouldn't be opposed to such a notion. Finding food for my group is hard enough without all these seasonal changes. But wishing for something like that is a bit fantastical."

The leader _Diplodocus_ chuckled, passing off Hazel and Flia's seemingly random questioning as a childish game, as he motioned his herd to resume their trek. While Charles led his group forward, Hazel and Flia shared a knowing glance. The two already planned to try to get the nomadic _Diplodocus_ herd back to Prehistoric Park; they just had to continue to subtly prompt him to find the exodus to the Present to be a good idea. The entourage of sauropods, along with their smaller guests, continued to travel across the scorching land until they came across their first signs of life.

" **When the day has come**

 **And the land is hot**

 **And the sun is bearing down on us all**

 **No, I won't be afraid, no, I won't be afraid**

 **Just as long as you stay, stay with me**

 **So darlin', my friend, stay with me, oh stay with me**

 **Oh, stay with me, stay with me**

 **If the salt that we walk upon**

 **Should eat our greens**

 **Or the mountains should crumble to the sea**

 **I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear**

 **Just as long as you stay, stay with me."**

"What in the Maker's name is that?" Flia asked as she perked up her ears to the odd song traveling through the air.

Charles and his herd audibly groaned, surprising both Hazel and Flia that the _Diplodocus_ were annoyed enough to reveal this lapse of formality.

A male groaned as he rolled his eyes, "Oh great, not these fellas again…"

"Keep to yourself sweetie," a mother _Diplodocus_ whispered to her young child, "and do NOT eat any plants that they offer and point out for you."

The many grumbles from the nomadic sauropods caught the flight duo off guard. As the _Diplodocus_ were chattering amongst each other, Hazel shifted her focus forward to the alpha sauropod that she and Flia were riding on.

"What's happening Charles?"

The leader _Diplodocus_ merely grunted as he slightly increased his pace.

"Some unsavory individuals, my dear Hazel," Charles huffed. "Just ignore them and they usually leave us be."

Coming up alongside of Charles' Group was another herd of sauropods. As opposed to the _Diplodocus'_ grey and brown toned hides, the still singing group of titans were a blackish-grey with red splotches that decorated their long necks. The herd was a group of 6 individuals, and if she was correct there was a juvenile sauropod trailing behind the lead dinosaur. Hazel immediately identified the group as a herd of _Supersaurus._

Flia cocked her head at the familiar dinosaurs catching up to their group. "Hey Hazel, isn't that the species that Hendrix led?"

"You know these… _Individuals?_ " Charles asked in confusion.

"Yeah, we do," Hazel said. "A few days ago, we came across a group of _Supersaurus._ They were led by a guy named Hendrix. This must be Hendrix's herd if they're heading to the Water Hole too."

Hazel's confession only further confused the _Diplodocus_ leader, "Hendrix? I'm afraid you are mistaken dear Hazel. Hendrix hasn't been the _Supersaurus_ leader of the Salt Plains for quite some time. He and his herd have left the Plains a few years ago to let the young inherit his old territory."

It was Flia and Hazel's turn to be confused. "Wait what?"

"Yes, the new _Supersaurus_ Youth Commune is led by—."

"Hey Charlie-boy! How's it hangin' man?"

A distinctive female voice called out from the group's right side. Catching up with Charles' gait was what seemed like a young adult _Supersaurus_ female that seemed strangely familiar to the time traveling adventurer; and the out of place hippie-like dialect was oddly familiar as well. Trotting near her feet was the juvenile Supersaur; which Hazel deduced as the female's child. Now that he was closer to them, the flight duo could see that the young sauropod hobbled as he walked due to a deformity on his right foreleg. Nevertheless, the young _Supersaurus_ was adamantly keeping up with his mother as she made her way to the head _Diplodocus._

Charles merely huffed as he continued his trek forward. "Hello young Miss…"

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie," the female _Supersaurus_ humorously chastised with a giggle, "How many times do I have to tell ya? The name's Woodstock, ya dig?"

Before Charles could reply, he was interrupted by the hitchhikers on his back.

"Wait, _Woodstock_!? Is that you!?" At both Hazel and Flia's exclamation, Woodstock jumped a bit in surprise before squinting her eyes at the duo she overlooked. After a few moments, the now matured Woodstock's eyes light up in recognition.

"Yo, Future-Ladies! You're back!" The female _Supersaurus_ exclaimed, her hippie-esque dialect coming out more pronounced. "Like, radical to meet you chicks again! I totally thought you girls got chosen for that Boss-Bitch's gut-waddin' when you didn't show up again. You two are lookin' good! Like, 'haven't aged a day' lookin' good."

"Heh, yeah. G-Good to see you too!" Hazel fumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck. She wanted to avoid the whole ' _Me and my best friend are from the future and are time travelers here to rescue you'_ spiel until she was sure Woodstock and Charles didn't consider her crazy. At both group's recognition of each other, this caused both entourage to halt their travels for a quick break; the _Supersaurus_ group glad to interact with their _Diplodocus_ counterparts, but the _Diplodocus_ didnot return the favor, feeling irritation for being within proximity with what they considered "the rabble".

"Soo, what have you been up to Woodstock?" Flia promptly asked, shifting the conversation away from the fact that, to the Jurassic dinosaurs, Hazel and Flia haven't aged a day. "Where is your father?"

"I've been chill, dudettes. My Daddy made tracks and left the Plains as soon as I came of age. You know, a ' _rite of passage'_ sorta deal or whatever," the relaxed sauropod informed. She then gestured to her side to the little sauropod that ambled up to her. "Now THIS is my pride and joy, Clearwater. Say hello handsome."

The now named Clearwater looked up to Flia and Hazel. Woodstock's son didn't appear to be too old, compared to how Woodstock was when the adventurers first saw her; Clearwater was about the size of a young pony rather than an adult Clydesdale-sized Woodstock. He looked up to the two travelers with an adorable smile.

"Hi ladies! Nice to meet ya!"

Both Hazel and Flia found the boy's cheerfulness adorable.

Hazel greeted Clearwater with a wave, "Hey little guy! My name's Hazel and this is Flia."

"Hello, Youngling," Flia said with a smile.

"We've known your mom when she was a kid," the Asian girl informed the young dinosaur. The juvenile _Supersaurus_ welcomed the travelers with a nod before he shifted his attention to his mother.

"Mum, are we almost there yet? I'm getting tired," Clearwater said while gesturing to his malformed leg. His mother lowered her head to give her son loving nuzzles.

"Don't sweat it Baby-boy, we're almost there," Woodstock replied. The at ease _Supersaurus_ rose to acknowledge the _Diplodocus_ alpha and his passengers. "Since we're headin' to the same place, how 'bout we group up? Ya know, ' _Safety in numbers_ ' and all that jazz."

Charles was hesitant to agree. If it were any other situation, he would deny Woodstock's offer immediately. He has heard of the less than reputable behavior of the unruly _Supersaurus_ Commune and didn't desire to associate with them more than necessary. However, Hazel and her fly companion seemed to be in good terms with them…

"Do you really know these beings, dear Hazel?"

The Asian woman confidently nodded.

Charles paused before a moment before giving a nod of his own, "Very well. Lead the way Miss Woodstock."

"Right on Charlie-boy!" The free-spirited sauropod cheered as she turned back to her herd. "My Brothas and Sistas! Let's get this party train movin'! WHOO!"

"AW YEAH!"

At Woodstock's lead, the _Supersaurus_ Commune reignited into cheerful singing as they continued their trek, now with two-time travelers and a reluctant group of _Diplodocus._

 _2-hours later…_

At this point of the journey, Charles and the rest of his followers were ready to find something to beat their heads against. He was normally a more refined individual and unflappable dinosaur, but traveling WITH the Supersaurs was easily grating on one's nerves. Really, how can they be happy ALL THE TIME!? As a result, Charles requested Hazel and Flia to move off him and onto Woodstock, just so he can have a bit of time to himself. Luckily, the girls agreed and used this opportunity reacquaint themselves with the leader _Supersaurus_.

As they were continuing their trek, Woodstock shifted her focus to Hazel and Flia on her back with an uncharacteristically emotional look on her face. "Hey Future-Girls, B-T-Dubs, thanks for not mentioning my Baby-boy's… _condition._ "

"Oh! Uh, yeah. No problem Woodstock," Hazel replied. "It didn't cross my mind really."

"We didn't want to be rude," Flia said. "But if you don't mind, what happened to him?"

Woodstock looked forward as she continued to talk to her passengers. "Well, you can thank my Baby-boy's deadbeat father. The dip was a smooth talker to get with me, but he wasn't father material. The Commune was ambushed by a big pack of Allos a few months ago and separated Clearwater and his father from us. The bastard pussed out and tried to leave my boy to die; hell, practically used Clearwater as a _shield_. As they were trying to escape, they fell off a hill and my boy broke his leg. The deadbeat broke his _neck_. Good riddance."

Both of time travelers were a bit startled at Woodstock's surprising vindictive nature.

Hazel gained an uncomfortable look, "That seems a bit… extreme Woodstock."

"Heh, if there was one thing Daddy taught me, it's that family is the most important thing in the world. Anyone who doesn't care for family isn't worth my time." The sauropod promptly informed, unconcerned with the harsh tone of her answer. "If there was one good thing that the bastard did, it was that his carcass made an excellent distraction while I got my Brothas and Sistas away. And of course, giving me my Baby-boy."

"Despite your skewed morals, at least you care for your Youngling," Flia commented. Woodstock merely sighed.

"Well, that's all I can do at this point," the hippie-like sauropod mother replied with a slight frown. "I won't kid myself into thinkin' my baby can reach a ripe age. It's only a matter of time before I lose him…"

Hazel sympathetically patted the _Supersaurus'_ back. "Woodstock, you can't think like that. Clearwater will be fine."

And she held high hopes on that. Should they rescue her and her son on this mission, or they decide to come along with them to Prehistoric Park, Suzanne and the rest of the vets would have a way to fix poor Clearwater's condition. Hazel read online some time ago that there were ways to adjust deformed feet to improve walking gaits. She pushed that thought aside, not wanting to dwell upon it unless the time comes when they do agree to return to the 21st century.

"Thanks for that Future-girl, but I know how it is. This is probably the Universe servin' me up some overdue bad karma," the Supersaur chuckled with grim humor.

"'Karma'?" Hazel questioned. "What do you mean?"

Before Woodstock could further explain, one of her Commune members bellowed out to the two traveling groups, signaling that they have finally reached their destination. Already at the Watering Hole, there were a multitude of creatures all meandering about the water's edge. Families of _Stegosaurus_ were either drinking or relaxing in the sun, flushing their plates so that they can cool themselves off and enjoy the heat. A few sparse scavengers were running about near the foliage that bordered the trees, either to fight each other or merely for fun. Even in the air were a few tiny pterosaurs flitting about. All the Supersaurs cheered as they spread out to claim a section of the drinking spot to relax.

"WHOO HOO! Water Hole time!"

"Let's get a drink."

"Come on ladies, it's time to sunbath!"

Clearwater ambled up to his mom and looked up to her. "Hey Mum, I'm going to go get a drink. Can I go please?"

His mother just nuzzled his side and prodded him softly toward the Water Hole. "Go ahead Baby-boy. Find us a spot next to the drink to mellow out, 'kay?"

The young _Supersaurus_ nodded as he hobbled off to get a drink and an area for him and his mother. The _Diplodocus_ Herd was also grateful to finally reach the desert oasis as they made their way to the water. Hazel and Flia also dismounted Woodstock to stretch out their cramped limbs as they too made their way to the Water Hole to refresh themselves. However, before the flight pair and the _Diplodocus_ could get close to the refreshing water, Woodstock intercepted them midway; cutting them off from their path. The grey and red sauropod had an uncharacteristically serious guise on her face as she scrutinized each newcomer to Water Hole.

Charles advanced forward to the judgmental _Supersaurus._ "Ms. Woodstock, is there a problem?"

"Ok my dudes, I need you all to level with me. You guys ain't gonna stir up trouble, are you?"

"What do you mean?" Hazel was confused at Woodstock's sudden tonal shift from welcoming to caution.

"The Water Hole has a certain etiquette that everyone has to abide by, no questions asked. You violate it, you get punished."

"And what is the punishment?" Hazel asked in morbid curiosity.

Woodstock merely craned her neck off to the side, gesturing the group to follow her gaze. A few yards away were a pile of aged bleach-white bones of a single theropod skeleton. It took Hazel a moment to identify _what_ the pile was due to the torso of the deceased creature practically being reduced to splinters when compared to the rest of the body. The only feature that the time traveling woman could recognize was the single horn protruding on the theropod's snout. The snout of a _Ceratosaurus_.

"That dude tried to muscle in on the Water Hole and kill a baby Stego at the water's edge a few years ago. Daddy managed to kick the skuzz away and _crush_ that troublemaker. The skuzz was messed up and bleedin' when he got here, but there's no reason a meat eater can't be civil," Woodstock casually informed, whilst also further surprising Hazel of the ruthlessness of Nature. "Hmm… now that I think about it, that Cerato came a few days after the first time we met, Future-Girls. Huh, weird coincidence!"

Both Hazel and Flia looked back to the skeleton with shock and some sympathy. From Woodstock's story, it seems that the spared theropod immediately got itself killed shortly after they rescued Alyssa from the mud pit. So much for letting the young _Ceratosaurus_ live _._

"Anyways, just mind your manners and whatever baggage you got, go do that _away_ from the Water Hole's edge. Do that and we'll be chill—."

"MUM!"

Snapping her attention to her son's panicked cry, her peaceful face turned to rage as she took in the situation.

"HEY! Get away from my Baby!" Woodstock screamed as she charged in to intercept her son's attacker.

Hazel and Flia, along with the Charles' _Diplodocus,_ all saw what caused the _Supersaurus_ female duress. Chasing after Woodstock was Hazel and Flia's target species: an _Allosaurus lucasi_ , the other species of Allosaur living in North America. He was decorated with a vibrant yellow head with a white streak trailing down his eyes, along with colorful greens and browns to offset his colors and match his arid habitat. Hazel immediately could tell that this individual was the subspecies as he had a collection of small intimidating spikes that decorated his body from the base of his neck to the back of his skull. From what the time traveling human can guess, he wasn't full grown, due to how small he was when compared to Alyssa's near 40-ft length; he was more like 30-ft.

As Woodstock bellowed at the theropod, the carnivore turned, giving Hazel and the others another startling surprise. The entire left side of his jaw was shattered and skewed, preventing the yellow carnivore from closing his mouth completely. His grizzly face was frightening.

"Get away from my Baby-boy and beat feet ankle biter!" Woodstock yelled.

The _Allosaurus_ simple shifted his misaligned jaws left and right in mock contemplation before replying in a slightly muffled voice. "Heh, what did I say all those years ago? 'Look out _Supersaurus_ , I'm gonna get ya'? Maybe I'll get your 'Baby-boy' instead."

"I'm gonna send you packin' skuzz! RAAH!" With an angered scream, Woodstock swished her whip-like tail as she turned her back on the yellow theropod. Her tail cut through the air so fast that Hazel could hear it swishing from where she stood. After a few arcs, Woodstock violently lashed out her tail. The _Allosaurus_ was surprisingly nimble for a large carnivore as he swiftly dodged the _Supersaurus'_ tail sweeps. He ducked under one of the swipes, which it obliterated a dead spindly tree into splinters. After a few more arcs, the light-footed carnivore managed to clamp his teeth onto the thicker part of Woodstock's tail, avoiding the lethal end of the tip.

"AGH! Let me go, you skuzzbag!" The sauropod yelped as she tried to tug her body part out of the Allosaur's mouth.

"Flia! We have to help Woodstock!"

The _Pteranodon_ nodded, "Right, hop on Hazel!"

By the time the Sky-Scouts mounted and took off, it was already too late. With a brutal pull, the desert colored theropod ripped off a portion of Woodstock's tail. The sauropod yelled in pain as her tail spurted out a few streams of blood. As the _Allosaurus_ was backing off, while attempting to hold down his fleshy trophy's convulsion, Hazel and Flia made their move.

"HEY!"

At Hazel's defiant cry, the predator once more dodged an attack aimed at him; albeit with some difficulty due to Woodstock's severed tail's "death throes". Just as Flia and Hazel were about to strafe the carnivore one more time, the _Allosaurus_ tossed up his prize directly into the path Flia was flying in. Of course, the skilled flyer evaded the amputated appendage by diving slightly under it. This left Hazel confused.

"Why would he—?"

 ***Thwack!***

"AGH!"

"MAKER DAMNIT!"

In a bad stroke of luck, the flying tail convulsed in that exact moment and whipped Flia's back midflight, hitting both her and Hazel during the spasm. Fortunately, the tail only skimmed them and was limited in strength due to it being detached from Woodstock's powerful body. However, since it caught them off guard, it forced the Sky-Scouts nearly into a crash landing before Flia righted herself and landed.

Pleased with himself, the _Allosaurus_ hastily snatched up his meal and retreated up to his hill that overlooked the Water Hole.

"God Damn! That REALLY freaking hurts!" Hazel exclaimed as she tenderly rubbed her ass, the area where the severed tail unfortunately struck.

Flia could only agree. "I'm getting so tired of random stuff hitting me and forcing me out of the sky!"

As Hazel slightly recovered from the pain, she saw the predator on the top of the hill in the shade of a tree, currently snacking on his pilfered sauropod tail.

"There he is," Hazel informed her partner. "Let's go get him!"

"Right," Flia said with a nod.

"Leave the skuzz be."

Both scouts turned and saw Woodstock along with her son walking up to them. Apparently sometime during their short-termed fight with the theropod, Woodstock told the _Diplodocus_ to disperse since Charles' group was no longer off to the sidelines. Hazel was the first to recover from the Supersaur's shocking statement.

"'Leave him be'? Why would we do that Woodstock? That carnivore attacked your son AND attacked you and Flia and me! We should fight him, or at the very least drive him off to avoid another fight."

Woodstock merely shook her head.

"What BJ did was perfectly sanctioned by the rules of the Water Hole. Ahem, ' _Any baggage, be it fights between Carnos and Carnos, Herbis and Herbis, or Carnos AND Herbis, are free to be expressed as long as it takes place AWAY from the Water Hole and its patrons.'"_ The sauropod said, reciting her last line to the duo as if she was directly quoting a rulebook.

"You LET predators get away with attacking the creatures here?" Flia incredulously asked. Her response was a shrug.

"The Salt Plains is a rough place Future-Girls. I don't know how it is outside of the Plains, but we can't afford to squander resources. We can't waste water, we can't waste foods, and unfortunately, we can't always support a large number of members in a herd. It's a careful balance between us and them. So, anything is fair game as long as NOTHING happens to the Water Hole."

"Wait a minute," Hazel interrupted. "Who the heck is 'BJ'?"

"Yeah, you know, the Allo. His name is Broken Jaw. Get it, 'Broken Jaw'? BJ for short."

"Not the most imaginative name," Flia commented. She was looking over to the theropod on the hill, more specifically his shattered jawline. "Still, how did 'Gruesome' survive with his mouth practically ruined?"

"Not sure myself, but you should know that dude. That's the Allo that I cracked five years ago."

At Woodstock's reveal, Hazel snapped her gaze back to the _Allosaurus_ in surprise.

"THAT'S HIM!" The Asian woman shouted. "I thought that you killed that little Allosaur."

"I thought so too," Woodstock merely shrugged. "But I guess it'll take someone more B.A. than me to take BJ down."

Despite being taken out swiftly—and embarrassingly—by the handicapped _Allosaurus,_ Hazel had to admire that the young theropod managed to survive and thrive into adulthood. Anyone else that suffered injuries like that, especially at a young age, would most likely be _dead_.

Hazel smiled at the tenacious predator. "Well, he seems to be doing well—!"

 ***GGGRRRROOOOOAAAAWWWRRRRR!***

At the terrifying roar, all the creatures of the Water Hole perked up and turned in the direction of the call. A _Stegosaurus_ family gathered together in caution, the younglings scrambling towards their mother. The sauropods, both _Diplodocus_ and _Supersaurus_ , groaned in distress as they all craned their necks towards the menacing roar in the distance.

"What the hell was that…"

Hazel's whisper was met with silence as Woodstock merely narrowed her eyes in both aggression and concern at the obvious predatory roar in the distance. She felt a nudge at her leg from her son. Looking at him, the alpha could see the worry etched on her Baby-boy's face.

"Mum…"

Woodstock lowered her head to nudge her son along. "Just get to the edge baby. And keep an eye out, you dig?" Clearwater nodded as he hobbled off as fast as he could.

"Woodstock," Hazel started before she was cut off.

"Stay close to the Water Hole Future-Girls. You'll be safer there."

The _Supersaurus_ female lumbered off, the hippie-esque sauropod even more on edge as she warily scanned her surroundings for hidden dangers.

 _ **1) Stay with Me (Stand by Me by Ben E. King)**_


	8. King of the Hill

_**Soundtrack: Suite for an Allosaurus by Mark Leggett/Into a Dark Dawn by Roman Heuser**_

Broken Jaw looked down upon his prize. He had not had anything substantial to eat for the last two days. His stomach cramps bothered him of its lack of sustenance, up to the point where he had trouble sleeping. The drought the Salt Plains were experiencing had also hit this area. Not many creatures were staying around these parts due to them migrating off to find better places with food. It was quite normal to have few visitors come to the Water Hole from other lands; after all, this place had seen many droughts. Those that chose to stay were the ones who were adapted to this environment; most of them were a great deal smaller than him.

The desert-toned predator licked his teeth; small drops of saliva fell upon the detached red and black web-patterned tail. The appendage may not have much meat, but it was better than nothing.

The _Allosaurus_ positioned the tail so that he could sink his teeth on the part with the most meat. Due to his facial handicap, he had to resort to eating his food by tearing up the substances before gradually chewing them. It would take him a while to finish a meal, but this one he could relish on. After all, he managed to wound the one creature that gave him the misaligned jaw.

While he was hungry for large game, Broken Jaw was no fool to the Water Hole. He knew the rules. If the prey was close to the water's edge, they were not up for grabs. The Water Hole rules forbid any conflicts at its shores. The Salt Plains were a harsh place to live in. There were very few resources around, and at times, not enough to share. Broken Jaw had no idea when the rules were put up; all he cared about was anything that was away from the water by a considerable distance was fair game.

At least that was one thing he learned as he grew up.

Broken Jaw tore apart strips of the tail with a quick movement of his head. The warm blood soaked his tongue, and the tiny strips swum in his mouth. The Jurassic carnivore reared his head back slightly, allowing the sustenance to go down his throat.

As he went in for another bite, something moved out of the corner of his vision. He had little time to react when his prize slapped him on his face, close to his eye. Broken Jaw yelped in pain, the sensation being equivalent to ten bee stings put together. At least the hit was not at full power, nor was it at his eye. He may have lost it or his head.

The _Allosaurus_ anchored it down with his right foot, preventing any more convulsions. Satisfied, he bent down and grabbed the thick end with his teeth, ready to get another chunk.

"Man, what a long day..." a squeaky voice sounded off from ahead.

Looking up, Broken Jaw could see two forms coming towards him. One of them was a small theropod with dark grey skin with lighter grey tones spanning the bottom of his throat down to the rest of its body. Its lean body structure and graceful legs gave Broken Jaw an idea that this was a fast runner. In its mouth was a medium-sized brown snake; its head and tail dangled helplessly as it swayed with the motion of the carnivore. The other individual that was coming towards the _Allosaurus_ was a small, goldenrod-hued pterosaur. Besides it being a small flying creature, this pterosaur had a long tail that ended in a small paddle and its teeth protruded from its beak like thorns on a branch.

Anyone who looked upon this duo would think the small carnivore would see the pterosaur as a snack. However, they would be wrong. In fact, these two were comrades that were inseparable...even though they would argue sometimes over the littlest things.

"We've been out for the entire day just to go find breakfast, and we come back late in the day. There's almost nothing in this place thanks to this dry time!" the pterosaur, which was identified as male, shrieked. "Besides the bugs I ate from some of the trees here, the only thing we could find was this huge slithering thing that slid up to you."

"Pipe down will you, Flit?" the small theropod told the small flyer, albeit muffled due to the prey that was in his mouth. His voice sounded deep and edgy. "You should already know this is normal during the 'Dry Days'. Not many would stay around here during this time. And besides, food is food."

"Caius, couldn't you have caught something bigger? I'd kill for one of those warm, juicy, long wavy things…" Flit said, giving off dreamy eyes.

"You mean the guts?" Caius deadpanned.

"Yeah! Oh man, what I would kill for some of that!"

"Would it kill for you to be a bit more appreciative? This is all I could catch in this place!"

"What about that dead furry thing over that one hill?" the little flyer complained. "We could have gotten some of that!"

"It was too dried up! No meat in that thing," the grey meat eater told him.

"Well, we should have grabbed that and then gotten this long thing!"

It was not long before they made it up the hill, where Broken Jaw was at. Their bickering continued even after they stopped a few feet from him. Most creatures would run at the sight of an _Allosaurus_ that could see almost anything as potential prey. But for Caius and Flit, they saw him as something other than a killer.

"Caius, Flit, knock it off!" Broken Jaw hollered. The arguing theropod and the pterosaur immediately shut their mouths and eyed the larger carnivore with apprehension.

He let out a blatant sigh. "Seriously, I can't stand you two arguing. Flit, be glad Caius got you both some food. With the Dry Days on us, it's hard enough to get food."

"Oh yeah? Well, what about that thing you got there?" Flit landed nearby the detached tail and gave it a quick sniff.

"Got it from one of the Supersaurs. That big one will miss this," Broken Jaw smirked before sinking his teeth into the meat again.

"A Supersaur?" Caius chuckled, dropping the snake in front of the _Allosaurus_ with a thump. "You sure have come a long way from that beaten up youngling we found years ago. If you took on a Supersaur and ripped off its tail, then it sounds like we raised you well."

There was no lie in the small carnivore's words. Five years ago, Flit and Caius were on a normal hunting spree when they noticed a young, starving Broken Jaw sleeping under the shade of the same tree they stood under on the hill. The two were inquisitive over his bloody jaw...and the blood that seeped from it. Caius volunteered to get some food for the youngling, but his friend Flit argued against it, saying the youngster was going to die sooner or later. He also pointed out that if they did help the _Allosaurus_ , he would grow up and could see them as potential meals.

Caius denied that. He would not see either of them as food if they raised him. The small theropod took sympathy upon the youngling and championed the idea of looking after him. He even reasoned with his pterosaur companion that if they do raise him, they would be safer from larger creatures so long as they had him around.

Flit agreed to that idea...albeit reluctantly. So they raised the youngling as one of their own, even giving him his own name. As Broken Jaw grew older, they slowly started to grow onto the Jurassic predator, and he started to see them as his guardians. They brought him food and water as he grew older and he provided them protection when they needed it. A few times in the past, Broken Jaw fended off the things that saw them as food, or as pests. Broken Jaw may have lost his biological family, but he gained a new one in the form of a most unlikely duo.

The _Allosaurus_ lifted his head and looked at the smug small carnivore. "It's thanks to you two that I was able to survive in this place. You guys brought me food when I was wounded."

"Eh, it's the least we could do. Which Supersaur did you get this thing from?" Flit inquired.

Broken Jaw let out a small laugh. A few drops of blood dripped down from his maw. He then used one of his talons and gestured to his face, or more precisely, his mangled lower jaw. "The one who gave me this."

"Wha-what!? Woodstock!? How did you-!?" Caius stammered and left his mouth agape.

"Oh, ho ho!" Flit laughed and fanned his wings in appreciation. "That's sweet revenge for you! If I can recall, revenge is something best eaten cold. So tell me, does that tail taste cold to you?"

The desert _Allosaurus_ stared at him questioningly. "Um...the blood is warm?"

"I'm kidding," Flit scoffed.

He rolled his eyes and resumed his attempt at eating his fill. The friendly duo then looked over at the Water Hole, wanting to get a good look at the _Supersaurus_ Broken Jaw managed to wound. While they saw many _Supersaurus_ hanging about, along with other sauropods they had never seen before, the prime target was not hard to miss. They took in the sight of the immense wounded sauropod standing near the edge of the Water Hole; her tail now severely amputated and the blood now drying up under the heat of the sun. Hobbling near her was a younger _Supersaurus_ , this time with a lighter grey hue than the adult. While this one was indeed smaller, the youngling was oddly walking in a slow gait. Taking another look, they saw that one of its feet was nearly bent backwards, most likely an injury or a birth defect.

However, it was not the sight of the injured sauropod that really caught their attention. It was the two creatures that were communicating with the injured Woodstock. Now, Caius and Flit had seen a lot of things while living in the Salt Plains. But looking at the two newcomers brought a whole new meaning to strange.

The two scurried over to Broken Jaw and hid behind his immense form. They had no idea if those two were dangerous, so they hid behind their larger security guard as an added form of protection.

"Yo Caius, you seeing what I'm seeing?" Flit said, glancing over at his companion.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he replied, not even taking a look at the smaller pterosaur.

The appearances of the two newcomers were too much to fathom for them. The first one looked to be similar in appearance to Flit, except for many differences. First, the flyer was much larger than the yellow pterosaur by a great deal. Second, this one had what looked like to be a flat bone sticking up from its head. Third, the individual appeared toothless despite having a large beak. Then there was the obvious skin color difference, with this one having a deep purple with brown accents on the undersides. What's more, there was a brown thing strapped onto its back, making it look like a loose shell of some sort. And finally, there was the lack of a long tail that ended in a paddle.

The second one was what the duo were having trouble with. This creature had no tail, long neck, claws, wings, or even visible sharp teeth. It was not bent forward like a normal predator, nor was it on all fours like an herbivore. There appeared to be long, black grasses growing from the top of the head, and it lacked a long snout, or at least it was flattened. The lightish brown skin was not scaly, but rather smooth. The only exception to that latter was the purple covering on the main body and the dark blue covering on the legs. What's more, the creature had a peculiar mass on its back and odd rocks covering its feet.

"What are they?" Flit asked offhandedly.

"I've never seen those creatures before. That large flyer though looks a little like you, Flit," Caius remarked.

"I can't tell if that's a guy or a girl..." the little winged being put a finger on his beak. "Maybe a guy if he's that huge?"

"Oh, them?" Broken Jaw inquired, his meal time interrupted. "Just a couple of newcomers that came with the Supersaurs. They attacked me earlier when I was against Woodstock. My guess is they're friends with that swag giant. I gave them a run for it by throwing this tail at them. Literally whooped their butts."

"Seriously!?" the pterosaur cackled. He enjoyed the image in his mind so much that he bent backwards and fell onto his back while laughing. "Now that's what I call 'whoopin' their behinds'!"

"Should we investigate?" the grey theropod asked his makeshift family over the cackling of Flit. He looked over at Broken Jaw, who was looking at them with a calm expression, despite having blood on his lips from chewing on the tail. "I would like to know more about who and what they are."

"Nah, I'd wait until tomorrow. They tried to fight against me and lost. Come up to them now, saying you're with me and they'd probably freak out. Let them rest for the night. Then ask them in the morning, especially when they're at the water's edge."

"What if we didn't tell them we knew you?" Caius added.

"Regardless, just leave them be. They'll be here for a while if they're friends with Woodstock."

 ***GROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAR***

The horrible ear-splitting sound made everyone in the area turn and look in the direction of that roar. In the case of Caius and Flit, they merely ducked where they were, cowering from wherever that sound came from. Broken Jaw, on the other hand, merely stared off into that direction, squinting his eyes in suspicion.

"Whoa! What was that!?" the little flyer sounded off in apprehension.

"That sounded like it was close by...whatever it was. And it sounded big too," Caius added, tentatively peeking his head from the _Allosaurus'_ back to see if the source of that roar was not around. He let out a sigh when he found nothing in front of them.

"Yo BJ, aren't you the only big bad boy around these parts?" Flit inquired, hoping to get a reassuring answer from the Jurassic carnivore. Though no one could see it, he was doing his best to keep his beak from quivering.

Said predator looked back at them and gave them a toothy grin, though his jaw was misaligned and his smile was not so clear.

"Don't worry you two. I'm the only big carnivore here. Whatever that was, it's probably nothing."

"You call THAT nothing?" the smaller, lithe carnivore pointed past several hills ahead of them, where the sound came from.

"Relax, it's probably something dying. Now come on, eat your food here before I eat it myself."

At the behest of the _Allosaurus_ , the duo pensively made their way towards their meal. Broken Jaw may have reassured them that there was nothing to be afraid of, but from their experience with living in the Water Hole, there was nothing around here that could have made that roar. That did not sound like an animal dying. It sounded more like a large creature that wanted to make its presence known...and not in a good way.

The two shared a look before gorging on the snake carcass, hoping the food would help them forget what had spooked them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Next Day...Early Afternoon

Hazel scooped up another pile of water with her hands and splashed it onto her face. The water may be warm, but wetting her face allowed for the breeze, although small, to waft against it. The cool sensation she felt relieved the heat she was constantly under in this region. The woman let out a relieved breath as she took in the cool relief. She did not need to drink from here, for she had packed enough water bottles to last for the next couple of days. But if she needed to, she could always refill them here, and the filter would take out the sediment.

Standing next to her was Flia, who was getting refreshed in the Water Hole by drinking to her heart's content. The saddle that Hazel put on earlier was strapped securely to her back. Like a shovel, she lowered her head to the water's surface to allow the water to sink into her beak. Once she had enough, she would raise her head and allow the water to go down her throat. Though there were no fish in this area, at least she was able to have some sustenance from the food Hazel packed, which included some steamed fish she prepared before the start of their trip. The Pteranodon was not accustomed to the taste of cooked fish and found the texture to be unusual, but at least it did help her get by. It was also a good thing Hazel separated the unseasoned fish from the seasoned ones, lest she risk poisoning her companion.

It was also a good thing the Water Hole had a few other large herbivores having their share of the water. The sight of some Stegosaurus, three Diplodocus, and a couple of _Supersaurus_ made the flight duo feel safer in this place. After what happened yesterday with Woodstock's tussle with their target _Allosaurus_ , they found they needed to be more careful in this area.

Woodstock's amputated tail was gruesome to treat for young Hazel. Amputation always freaked her out. Thankfully, she packed her first aid kit and enough bandages from the infirmary back at the park in case of dire emergencies. Remembering a lesson she had with the Park's head veterinarian, Suzanne McNabb, on treating amputated limbs, she used that skill to treat Woodstock's injury. In no time at all, the wounded tail had the strange, white bondages wrapped around the ripped-off end. The _Supersaurus_ was thankful in the treatment, but she did mention the feeling of the bandages was something she would have to get used to.

Speaking of Woodstock, Hazel and Flia had seen her lead Clearwater away from the water's edge so they could find some food to eat. For whatever reason, they saw her looking out towards the hill with the large tree warily. When the flight duo looked in that direction, they saw nothing lying underneath the base of the vegetation. The two of them deduced she was looking for Broken Jaw, making sure he was well enough away from her young child.

Hazel shrugged that thought aside. They needed to think of a way to get Broken Jaw to come with them to Prehistoric Park. That was why they were here after all. But now she was having thoughts of bringing the _Supersaurus_ and the Diplodocus along too.

She scooped another pile of water and prepared to wet her face again. Unfortunately, she was interrupted by a preppy, yet analytical toned voice next to her.

"Excuse me?"

Hazel looked up and followed the direction of whoever called her. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the form of an 8-foot-long, dark grey, slender carnivore.

"Agh! Holy shit!" she screamed. The sudden appearance of the small theropod caused her to stand up and back up against Flia, who sputtered water out due to her being in the middle of getting the liquid into her throat. When the Pteranodon looked at the small theropod, she too screamed.

The two tried to run in the other direction, but were stopped by the sudden appearance of a large carnivore with a mangled lower jaw. The yellow hide, the distinct spines on the head, and the white markings on the eyes gave the identity away as Broken Jaw. The _Allosaurus_ gave them a toothy, yet mangled grin; his head now at their eye level, which only freaked them out even more.

"Hazel, run! I'll take care of them!" Flia told her partner.

The human was about to run away when a small pterosaur landed on the _Allosaurus'_ head. The voice he had sounded squeaky, but not so grating like nails grinding against a chalkboard.

"Whoa whoa! Take it easy! We're not going to hurt you!" the little flyer reassured.

The purple _Pteranodon_ eyed the small flyer with suspicion. "You're...you're not?"

At the sound of that, the human turned around and walked back to the water's edge. Her hand was now on her dagger, which she retrieved from her bag just before they went to refresh themselves.

"No," Caius said with a shake of his head. "We're at the Water Hole. All conflicts are forbidden at the shores here."

Hearing that statement made Hazel slap a hand on her head. "Oh. Right. The rules. Forgot about that," she said with a nervous chuckle.

"So, you do know about them?" Broken Jaw inquired with a slight lisp in his tone, his jaw moving slightly from side to side as he spoke.

"Yeah...Woodstock told us," the girl told them.

"I see...and I'm sure she told you about me?" he added.

"She did," Hazel said nonchalantly. She then eyed the mangled lower jaw that gave the _Allosaurus_ his name. "We're aware on how you...got your injury."

Flia scoffed at the large carnivore, slightly putting him off guard by her sudden reaction. "You ALSO were the one who slapped us out of the sky yesterday!" She rubbed her lower back to ease the tail sting she received from Woodstock's detached tail. "My back is still burning after that incident."

"And my butt..." the dark-haired woman clad in the purple tank top whined as she too rubbed her behind. Her face grimaced when she touched that particular spot where the whiplash got her.

Though what he did was fairly rude to them, Broken Jaw huffed at them in defense for his actions. "A predator's got to do what a predator's got to do to get his meal. Besides, you were the ones who attacked first."

Flia glared at him as if she were ready to peck his eyes out. "Out of defense for Woodstock and her child!"

"Now now, we're at the Water Hole. No fighting, remember?" Caius raised his clawed hands up as he ran in between the two. The carnivore and flyer stared at each other sternly for a brief moment before sighing out of submission. The two of them looked away before taking a step back from each other.

"So... I'm sure you're wondering about us." the _Pteranodon_ started, clearing her throat. "I am Flia, and I'm a Pteranodon. This is my partner, Hazel. She's a human."

Said human waved at them sheepishly. The trio of dinosaurs and pterosaur nodded in acknowledgement.

Not surprisingly, the one who started off was the dark grey carnivore that stopped the argument before it escalated.

"I am Caius," he introduced with a claw on his heart. "I am known as a-"

"Hold up, hold up!" Hazel suddenly interrupted, which made the small group eye her in confusion. A smile creased on her face unexpectedly. "I want to take a gamble at this."

"What?" Caius squinted one eye at her uneasily.

Almost immediately, Hazel did something that seemed to be out of character. She slowly walked around the small carnivore, inspecting each and every one of his bodily features. She touched his tail, which he instinctively tried to whip away but she held on tightly. The human moved it around, checking out its strength. She then moved to back to his right side and leaned over, checking out his mid-section. Finally, she hovered over to his face. The look she was giving him was inquisitive; one of her fingers was on her chin and one of her eyebrows was raised.

"Hm..." she sounded before backing off to announce her proclamation. "Judging from your size and bodily structure, along with where we are at, I'm going to guess that you're an _Ornitholestes_."

Said dinosaur sputtered in surprise. Almost anyone he met would not know what he was unless he announced it...or if they were prey and they were serving themselves up for a meal. "How...how did you-!?"

Hazel lifted both of her arms up and shrugged her shoulders. "Wasn't very hard. I've seen a lot of things, so I just made an observation and then my conclusion."

While that was true, there was one other thing that she did not mention. Some time ago, before she went on her solo mission to the Late Cretaceous, Nigel took her to the Museum of Science and Natural History for a lecture that he was hosting. As a world-renowned paleontologist and zoologist, Nigel was a prominent figure. He would sometimes hold presentations and lectures to museums and universities at their request, as long as they fit his schedule. One day, he decided to take her to New York City to watch his lecture on certain herbivores having feathers.

The theatre was crowded and so many enthusiasts asked him questions. The whole presentation lasted for over 4 hours. While she did enjoy seeing her father-figure present, and learning about certain herbivores having feathers, she fully enjoyed the time she had exploring the museum. One of her discoveries was getting up close to an Ornitholestes skeleton. The body shape, the skull structure, and the length all pointed out the identity of the "bird robber" dinosaur. That and this was no _Coelurus_ nor was it a _Tanycolagreus_ as they had already encountered those around the area.

The _Ornitholestes_ chuckled lightly. "Well, aren't you a smart one."

"My name's Flit!" the small pterosaur squawked as he hovered at Hazel's eye level. She could feel the wingbeats hit her body as he stayed aloft in the air. "I'm a-"

" _Rhamphorhynchus_ ," she deduced with a chuckle. Once again, she easily confirmed the species of this small pterosaur. His body shape, the long tail ending in an oblong paddle, the lack of a crest, and the crooked sharp teeth that jutted out from his beak were definite giveaways of the 'beak snout' pterosaur. "I can tell. What are you doing so far away from the ocean?"

"Oh...heh...long story," Flit squeaked and landed back onto the ground, his wings now folded so his hands could touch the earth. "But let's just say some fierce winds blew me away, I met Caius here after helping him get his head unstuck from a tree, and we eventually met Broken Jaw."

"Wait...when was that?" Flia wondered.

"It was around the same time I got this ugly mug here..." Broken Jaw told her before dipping his mouth into the water for a drink.

"But, we did not know about you!" her beak fell agape when she thought back to when they first saw the youngling _Allosaurus_. She was sure the only creatures around were the Stegosaurus and the _Supersaurus_. Broken Jaw was the only carnivore in the area, save for his mother who was coming to investigate. She did not see any Ornitholestes or a small _Rhamphorhynchus_ anywhere. "You were not around when we were-"

"Uh she means, Woodstock never mentioned you before," Hazel interrupted with a chuckle. She then turned to Flia and gave her a serious glare, making the pterosaur snap her beak shut. Judging from the look she was being given, the human was silently telling her to not say anything about their mission or mention they were around when Broken Jaw got his injury. While she was not going to say either of them, she knew better than to continue with that explanation.

"Oh...well, we found him all mangled up and we took it upon ourselves to fix him up. It was all Caius' idea," Flit pointed a winged finger at the small theropod.

"Yes, we found him under that tree," he turned around and pointed a talon at the tree up on the hill. "Over there..."

However, when he looked over at the hill Broken Jaw, Flit, and himself claimed, he could not help but gasp at what was now sleeping in their usual spot. His reaction brought the attention of the Pteranodon, the human, and the small _Rhamphorhynchus_ , who hobbled his way to his side to get a better look. He too let out a gasp.

Lying under the tree was a massive carnivore. Judging from its size, which was a great deal bigger than Broken Jaw, it could take on a Diplodocus or even a _Supersaurus_. Its hide was a mixture of maroon and crimson while the underbelly, which was slightly showing from the dirt, was white with red horizontal streaks. The skull was huge, though it was narrower than an _Allosaurus_. The hands, which were propped on the dirt nearby its head, were three-clawed. Finally, like Broken Jaw, it possessed bony structures above the eyes.

"Hey hey! BJ! Someone took your spot!" Flit shrieked while jumping up in excitement.

"When did that get there!?" Flia seconded, taking a step back in fear. At the corner of her vision, she could see Hazel backing away closer to her too for protection; her face riddled with apprehension at the appearance of the new carnivore.

"I've never seen that one before!" Caius said with his mouth quivering.

At the sound of them reacting, Broken Jaw snapped his head up. He looked over at the hill, which he claimed as his own. His eyes first went wide before squinting fiercely. An angered growl escaped his throat.

"Oh, ho ho no! Carnos can take whatever they want here, but taking my spot will mean their heads!" he yelled, charging towards the hill at full speed. He left clouds of dust in his wake.

"Broken Jaw! Wait! That thing is bigger than you! You'll get beaten!" Caius warned before running after the Jurassic carnivore.

"Hazel, what is that thing?" Flia asked her human companion, who was looking at the carnivore suspiciously.

"Well...considering that narrow snout that thing has, the time and region we're in, and that it looks about as long as an Iguanodon, I think we're looking at a _Torvosaurus_!"

Flit fluttered his wings and flew after his friends. "Well that Torvo-whatever will tear him up if we don't get BJ out of there! BJ, just leave him alone! We'll find another spot!"

Flia and Hazel exchanged glances. They did not need to say anything as they shared the same idea. The human mounted onto the saddle and held onto the straps as the flyer took to the air. A fight between an _Allosaurus_ and a much larger carnivore was surely not going to end well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the 21st century, scientists know _Allosaurus_ as a large carnivore that ruled the Jurassic. Most animals would flee from the sight of it, unless they were large enough to take it on. They would normally hunt in small packs or occasionally on their own. They had no fear of anything bigger than themselves. They were also very territorial; anything that dared to wander into its territory would face the consequences of having their bodies ripped apart by those sharp teeth and claws.

Sure enough, that was how Broken Jaw felt like doing when he approached the _Torvosaurus_ sleeping under his tree.

"Hey you! That's my spot! Get your own!" he called the stranger out in a lisp.

No response came from the crimson intruder. His eye remained closed and his breathing was stable. Soft snores escaped the creature's muzzle.

The _Allosaurus_ frowned and squinted his eyes in irritation. "The quiet type huh? Fine then! You think you're so big and tough? Well you got nothing on this!"

Now if there was one thing that scientists today did not know, it was how _Allosaurus_ were able to intimidate their opponents. Paleontologists did not have the luxuries that Prehistoric Park had, where they could travel back in time to analyze prehistoric behavior or see them in their enclosures in the sanctuary. But Prehistoric Park did not have an _Allosaurus_ years ago, and the one they had now was in comatose. One would think of _Allosaurus_ intimidation to be something ferocious. This time...would really change the biology books.

Broken Jaw reared his head back and started making high-pitched squawking sounds. The sounds that escaped from his throat sounded like a mix between a puppy's bark and a cat's meow. His arms were outstretched, giving him the impression of making himself look bigger.

His actions attracted the attention of everyone in the Water Hole, including two certain time travelers who were hovering a few yards away in the air from the scene. What they did not know was that this sort of action was something Caius taught Broken Jaw when he was younger on scaring off other opponents.

"What on earth is he doing?" Flia said as one of her eyelids slightly closed, which was the equivalent of a human raising an eyebrow. "He's making himself look like a fool."

"I think he's...trying to make himself look more intimidating?" Hazel replied with uncertainty.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be doing a good job at it."

Minutes passed, and Broken Jaw kept on his attempts to intimidate the intruder. His calls got louder and longer. His arms and his neck started to ache from all the movements. His plan was not working, as the _Torvosaurus_ was not roused from its sleep.

"Yeah! You like that!?" the desert carnivore taunted, albeit exhausted. His breathing started to become long and heavy; his lungs started to hurt. "No one takes my spot! Now move off before I mess your face up!"

Once again, the intruder showed no indication of a reaction. But if there was one thing that did happen, it was the large carnivore making louder snore sounds. That seemed to irritate the smaller meat eater even more; if dinosaurs could get angry easily like Broken Jaw, then a nerve could pop out from their heads.

Broken Jaw made one last attempt at calling out the intruder. He made his loudest calls, with the last one being the longest at the end. His arms waved around like a bird flapping its wings.

"Hey thin nose! Get up! I'm trying to talk to you!" he roared out, his frustration now at its peak.

Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the _Torvosaurus_ opened one single yellow eye. His gaze was weary, but it showed a hint of annoyance at the one who gave him a rude awakening.

"I said get up pea-brain!" Broken Jaw hollered, completing his display with one final roar.

He then brought his whole body against the crimson intruder and nudged him forcefully. He completed his taunt with a whack of his tail against his face. Now if his calling out did not do anything, then his bodily actions did the trick.

The _Torvosaurus_ got up, now even more irritated at his rude awakening. It was at this time that Broken Jaw finally got a good look of who took his favorite lookout spot. The creature was several feet taller than him, and was much longer too. The teeth this one had was much longer and sharper. The eyes were a deep yellow, and had an aura of rage. The arms it had were three-clawed, just like his, except they were a bit longer. Saliva dripped from the open maw in globs like glowworms in a cave ceiling.

For the first time in his life, Broken Jaw was scared. Never before had he seen another predator that was not a sauropod that was bigger than he was. His legs trembled, but he kept them under control as he tried to hold his defensive stance.

"Yeah...that's right! I'm talking to you, fool!"

The _Torvosaurus_ glowered at him before speaking in a deep, gravelly voice. "You call me pea-brain?"

"I did! Got a problem with that?"

"You disturb sleep!" he boomed, seemingly shaking the ground. "Yellow pest is dead pest!"

The interloper slammed his body against the _Allosaurus_ , making him yelp in surprise. Broken Jaw tried to get up, but only found that he could not as a foot slammed onto his ribs. The _Torvosaurus_ dug his jaws into the carnivore's abdomen, his teeth now tasting blood. With one quick movement of his head, he ripped a small portion of his flesh off, creating a huge gash on his stomach. The _Allosaurus_ , now trapped, could not help but scream in agony.

As if that was not enough, the crimson super carnivore swiped one of his claws at his face, making three large gashes near his left eye. The white stripes that decorated the predator's face on that side quickly became stained in red.

"Hey! Leave our BJ alone!" a raspy voice squawked from behind him.

Just as he was about to strike Broken Jaw again with his claw, something grey slammed into the side of his face. He yelped as the grey shape started to bite and scratch into his skin. There was something yellow too that zipped passed his line of vision. Sharp pricks were felt at the top of his head and were going down his snout. His vision now readjusted, the interloper discovered a grey Ornitholestes attacking his face and a small _Rhamphorhynchus_ trying to peck at his eyes.

Caius and Flit had seen what Broken Jaw had been doing to the _Torvosaurus_ from behind some bushes. Though they did not want their adopted youngling to get himself hurt, they were afraid of the behemoth that he was up against. They were too afraid to pull Broken Jaw away as doing so may get themselves eaten as well. But seeing the _Allosaurus_ get beaten up by the red bully spurred them into his defense.

"You think you can just attack our kid like that!? Take this!" Flit yelled as he dug his sharp beak into the carnivore's spiky hide.

The _Torvosaurus_ roared and reared his head back from the shock. He shook his head from side to side in an attempt to shake them off. However, the claws on the Ornitholestes were imbedded deeply into his skin. The harder he shook, the tighter the grip. The pterosaur was also difficult to shake off, as he had the power of flight to keep up with him.

Things were starting to look up for the friendly duo until the dinosaur got the upper hand on them. Caius' grip started to slip, which allowed the intruder to snap his head to the side and send him flying towards some nearby bushes. The carnivore landed with a grunt atop the spiny branches, his skin now riddled with plant-like needles. He slightly lifted his head up to get a better view of the fight, but could only do so slowly due to some of the needles being at the back of his neck.

"Ow..." he groaned.

If that was not enough, he was soon joined by his flying companion Flit, who landed against a tree with a slap. The _Torvosaurus_ apparently timed his precision correctly and hit the poor pterosaur with his head. The _Rhamphorhynchus_ was swatted towards the tree onto his back before landing onto the unforgiving earth with a cry of pain.

"Okay...that didn't work..." Flit said wearily, his vision now seeing smaller versions of himself flying in circles. He rested his head on the ground and closed his eyes, attempting to clear up his vision.

"I told you so," Caius huffed before his head lolled back onto the vegetation. The shaking he went through along with the vicious throw made him dizzy and knocked him out.

"Now to kill yellow shrimp!" the large carnivore snorted in satisfaction.

He returned his gaze back to the trapped _Allosaurus_ , his foot now at the base of his neck. His foot talons slightly dug into his skin, which created small, bloody claw pricks. Broken Jaw gagged as the pressure on his neck became heavier. His esophagus became tighter and tighter. The desert carnivore could not help but watch helplessly as something larger than him slunk closer, his sharp teeth and strong skull were ready to break his neck.

"Get off of him, you dick wad!" a female voice screamed from above.

The predator perked his head up at the sound of that call. Though he had no idea what it meant, he knew it was some kind of insult. Before he could make out what made that sound when he followed the source, something slammed against the side of his head; the same side where Caius was biting and clawing it. He let out a scream as talons dug into his skin. He quickly moved off, shifting his weight away from Broken Jaw.

The _Allosaurus_ looked up and took in the sight of what saved him. He was astonished to see the human Hazel and her Pteranodon friend Flia attacking the _Torvosaurus_. The flyer screeched while she pecked at his head. The red _Torvosaurus_ shook his head wildly, trying to shake them off. Up, down, left, and right, the creature tried to push them away, but it was inevitable. Flia's gift of flight allowed her to easily dodge his attacks by gaining altitude quickly.

The flight duo flew gracefully through the air. They attacked the intruder by swooping in out of the sky before coming into his body. Flia would then slam her weight against him with her feet or would attack with her beak before stabbing him like a spear.

After several minutes of attacking, the time travelers hovered several feet away from the interloper, but high enough for him not to catch them in his jaws. The duo glowered at him sternly, showing how much they abhorred how he treated Broken Jaw and his friends.

"Picking on someone smaller than you and taking their stuff? Now that's just being a bully!" Hazel told him off with a holler.

"I claim hill by water as mine!" the beast roared at them. "Yellow wimp too weak to fight me. He wishes death..."

"Why don't you just go find another spot? We can help you! Just leave Broken Jaw alone!" the human tried to reason with him. In the back of her mind, she knew this would probably not work. First, they were far away from the water's edge, meaning that the conflict would occur without halt. Second, this _Torvosaurus_ was most likely a newcomer and would not know about the rules around here. Third, he most likely would not listen to a word she said. Hazel wanted to be diplomatic with the super predator. All creatures had a right to live; that was something she believed.

"What is mine is MINE! Now come here little flies! I eat you with salt!" he spat at the scouts.

Flia sighed and glanced back at the human with despondent eyes. "Hazel, I don't think negotiations are going to work this time..."

The girl replied with a disappointed groan. "They almost never do..."

"You want help me? You leave or ease my hunger!"

She then returned her gaze to the carnivore and gave him a very smug expression. The words she started to say surprised the Pteranodon, for she switched from being diplomatic to being vulgar in an instant.

"Oh, sorry. What was that? You wanted us to whoop your ass, Red Hulk?"

"Small stick bug talk too much," the Jurassic meat eater cackled. "Purple fly looks fat."

Flia's expression turned from one of concern to immediate rage. Never had she been called that before. And if there was something else that was common sense to her, it was a woman should never be called fat. Hearing that coming from a smug carnivore like that made her want to fish his brains out so she could eat them whole.

"Oh! Did you just call me fat!? Well you're uh...um...a red meanie!"

The Pteranodon laughed at him, however, her laughing stopped when she noticed her human companion looking at her with a blank gaze. Her straightened mouth unnerved Flia a bit, causing her to quiet down.

"Red meanie?" she said with a hint of confusion and disappointment at the choice of words.

"He insulted me!" she defended. She also wanted to join in on Hazel's "backtalking competition" by using words of her own. Unfortunately, her attempt seemed to be worthless in the eyes of the human. "And... I'm not fat...am I?"

Hazel sighed and patted her on the back of the neck. "Flia, just let me do the backtalking."

"Fine. What's the point of this? Why make him angrier than he already is?"

"Why don't you look ahead?" she said with a bit of cleverness.

Flia looked on and noticed nothing. The herbivores that were around the Water Hole had all disappeared, most likely because they did not want to be caught in the crossfire between a large carnivore like this one or get eaten themselves. But, it was through her observations that she noticed something that she had nearly forgotten about.

Broken Jaw.

The Pteranodon watched as he slowly limped away from the hill, towards a set of bushes. Small streaks of blood dripped from his abdomen from the bite wound he received. His gait was ungainly, but that was due to him trying to recover from being stunned by the _Torvosaurus_. Flia understood what her friend was doing. All this vulgar talking was not aimed at making him angry; it was to buy Broken Jaw time to escape.

Flia returned her attention back to the _Torvosaurus_ at the sound of his roar. Their job was not finished yet.

"Come back here so I can chew you!"

"Yeah yeah, sure thing 'Assfart'," Hazel said with a quick wave of her hand. "We'll play with you. By the way, what is your name? Or would you prefer to be called 'Assfart'?"

"I have no name," the _Torvosaurus_ replied with an amused snort. "All fear me when they see me!"

Hazel put a finger to her chin, putting herself into a Thinker position. "Hm... Red Frank? Fannie Licker? Bloody Mary?"

Flia could not help but snicker at the choice of names she was coming up with. On and on she kept making up names where she had no knowledge of. A number of them she understood though. However, she had to stifle her laughs as she was trying to appear smug in front of the unnamed predator. Laughing now would break that wall.

"Buttwipe? Yosemite Sam? Oh! Oh! I know! What about Zitty Eczema?" the girl yelled with amusement.

"Shut up little bug!" he roared, not liking the names at all even though he had no idea what she was talking about. However, all the backtalking was doing its job as his rage was building up at a fast rate. Now he felt like grinding the flight duo in his jaws until they were nothing but mush.

"Okay fine...Shirley," Hazel said with a smug grin.

It was at that point that Flia could not take it anymore. She exploded into a fit of laughter at the mention of the name Espantos would accidentally call the lemur Zini. She was also told not too long ago that the name was strictly for females. Her eyes filled with small tears and her lungs started to ache from her torturous amusement. Hazel snickered along with her, but neither of them noticed the enraged expression on the _Torvosaurus'_ face.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Shirley!? That's a girl's name! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the _Pteranodon_ giggled. All of the laughing she was doing was making it difficult for her to stay aloft. She wanted to hold her stomach and lie on her back from this whole thing.

In a fit of rage from his newly "dubbed" name, "Shirley" roared in hatred at the flight duo. The action made Flia cease her laughing and look at him seriously. The two companions shared a look and nodded together. They swooped down towards the angered carnivore; the pterosaur's wings folded and her beak at the ready.

As soon as the two were close enough to Shirley, the _Torvosaurus_ angled his body away and swiped his tail. The appendage swished in the air like a flexible mace. The tail was about to hit them when Flia expertly dodged it by ducking and then flapping back up into the air. With a few flaps, the Pteranodon gained altitude before making a sharp U-turn. The purple flyer once again swooped down at the carnivore for another attempt at a stab.

However, Shirley managed to move out of the way from the attack. He watched the pterosaur fly back up for another round. Like before, Flia made a U-turn before coming back in for a swooping attack. And again, Shirley would dodge it. However, Flia would sometimes manage to land a few pecks on the head before having to retreat to avoid a bite attack. This went on for the next few minutes.

Each side attacked the other, and each side expertly dodged them. Even Hazel found a few opportunities where she could attack. She would tell Flia to drop her off on the ground when Shirley was looking away so that she could attack. Running up to the _Torvosaurus_ while he was distracted, she would draw her dagger and slash his leg a couple of times. Shirley would cry out in pain and try to stomp her, which she would expertly dodge out of the way. Flia would then come in and carry her off before he could land a hit. It was a good thing she left her bag in a cluster of bushes near where the _Supersaurus_ herd slept, otherwise she would have been really hindered in the battle.

With the stalemate dragging on, Hazel directed Flia to land in a spot nearby one of the barren trees a few feet away from the hill after successfully pecking at Shirley's head for a bit. Not questioning the human's judgement, she flew over to the dried-up foliage and hovered above the ground. Hazel dismounted and made her way to the dead tree, where she began to climb up the large boulders before reaching for the branches.

Understanding what she was attempting to do, the Pteranodon flew back to the _Torvosaurus_ to continue her attacks. She made several more swoops at him while occasionally pushing him towards that direction. With the speed she was going at along with her advantage in the air, Shirley had difficulty with landing an attack on the large flyer. His head and back were starting to get riddled with puncture marks. Small blood streaks were dripping down from them, blending in with most of the hide until they reached the underbelly.

It was not long before Shirley was very close to the tree Hazel was on. During the fight between Flia and Shirley, Hazel had climbed up the branches until she reached one that matched the carnivore's height. With his back to her, she used this opportunity to spring her trap. She ran on the branch, jumped off at the tip, and expertly landed on his studded-back. Thankfully, Shirley did not notice the added weight put on him, otherwise he would have turned his head and chomped on her.

Hazel quickly balanced her way to the base of the neck. Drawing the dagger she had on her belt, she raised it high before stabbing him with a yell.

 ***GROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAR***

The human immediately spread her legs and straddled the neck. The carnivore violently shook all over, trying to get the new sensation off of his back. With how deep the dagger was in his neck, Hazel was able to hang on tightly. She raised her right hand up and let out an amused holler.

"Yeehaw! Ride'em cowboy!"

She rode on Shirley like a rider would on an angered bull. For the next couple of minutes, she hung unto the enraged behemoth. At least, it felt like a couple of minutes. In reality, she was only on him for several seconds before he reared his head back violently, launching Hazel into the air.

"Holy shit! AAAAAHHHHHH!" she screamed, her arms flailing in the air.

The time traveler was saved in the nick of time thanks to Flia, who caught her in her talons. The woman went still, her body now in the safety of the pterosaur's grip. Hazel clutched her dagger, not wanting to drop it and lose her only weapon.

"Phew…thanks Flia," Hazel thanked with a quick salute.

"You die here, and a lot of folks back at home will have my head," the _Pteranodon_ mused.

A roar broke the moment they had. Looking back onto the ground, they saw Shirley growling up at them. His face now dripping with blood, which went all the way down to his neck. They watched him stomp around, pacing back and forth, waiting for them to come down again. He let out barks, growls, and snorts while he let out his temper tantrum. Both Flia and Hazel could not help but share an amused expression at how he was acting due to them having a huge advantage.

Then, they saw his eyes widen. He looked back to scan his surroundings. The _Torvosaurus_ saw he was the only one in the vicinity. The herbivores had disappeared, the Ornitholestes and the _Rhamphorhynchus_ that tussled with him were not to be found. And the _Allosaurus_ he wounded?

Gone.

The only thing that remained of the smaller carnivore was a small path of blood drops that led eastward towards some desert foliage; thin trees with leaves that were able to survive in this hostile environment, some dried bushes that had branches that felt like thorns, and a few boulders here and there. The trail led towards that direction, but there was no doubt the _Allosaurus_ was long gone from the area.

Shirley looked back up them, his features filled with rage yet they hid any hint of defeat. "You waste time. I am tired. Meet again soon."

With that said, the large predator gave them a snort before walking off on them. The flight duo watched as he made his way towards the hill, his footsteps creating clouds of dust as he walked.

Hazel sheathed her dagger. It was a miracle they got out of this battle unscathed. _Torvosaurus_ were known to be one of the most fearsome carnivores in the Jurassic period. The fact that they survived this ordeal was pure luck. Judging by how Shirley dismissed himself from the field, it would seem his only focus was to kill Broken Jaw. They were only interference and would not care about taking on anyone who he did not have a personal grudge.

Then again, the other reason why they won this round would probably be because they wore him down to a point where he became useless to himself. Perhaps they got him tired. But then that would also mean he may have a bone to pick with them, since young Hazel insulted him as a distraction for Broken Jaw to get away.

Either way, the victory was theirs.

"Come on. Let's find Broken Jaw," Hazel told Flia.

The duo flew off towards the hills in the east with the afternoon desert sun burning their backs.


	9. Bonding Time

_**Soundtrack: Survivor by Skysprod**_

 ***Slap***

"OW!"

"Don't touch your wounds!"

"Why not?"

"Because you could infect them. You want to get sick?"

"No..."

"Then don't touch them!"

For Hazel, finding a wounded _Allosaurus lucasi_ was easy. All she and Flia had to do was to follow the blood streaks he left behind. In no time at all, they found him lying in a dried riverbed at least a mile from the Water Hole. The area looked like it had seen better days. The dead trees and nearly sparse bushes signified a once-green landscape. Broken Jaw had been lying in the middle of the dry waterway when they found him. Caius and Flit were there putting some leaves on his wounds, which to Hazel, looked like just ordinary teardrop-shaped leaves one could find in a tree. Whatever they were, they seemed to be important in Broken Jaw's treatment, as they were absorbing the blood from his wounds.

Caius and Flit wasted no time in treating the carnivore. However, the problem they were having was that they were in short supply of those leaves. The _Rhamphorhynchus_ would not stop complaining to the _Ornitholestes_ on not finding enough.

Fortunately for them, Hazel and Flia had arrived at an opportune time. Hearing their predicament, they volunteered to help with treating Broken Jaw, only under the condition that no harm was to come to them. The trio agreed, with the _Allosaurus_ reluctantly accepting their assistance so long as he was healed quickly. The human stayed to help with stopping the bleeding while the Pteranodon and _Rhamphorhynchus_ flew off to fetch more of the leaves. In addition, she also asked them to find some dried sticks so she could build a fire, since it was getting dark. Of course, that came with questions, which she had to tell them it was to have some light and to provide warmth. With the drought on them, the abundance of those leaves was pretty low. So, they had to go and find them further off from the Water Hole.

Thankfully, they were able to bring back enough to nurse Broken Jaw's wounds. And they brought in enough sticks to last for the next few hours. Soon after dropping off the foliage, and helping Hazel with building a fire by telling those who did not know what she was doing why she was doing so, Flia flew off to check on things around the Water Hole, specifically to see if the sauropods were okay. The early evening was usually a time when barely any predator would be out hunting, but with Shirley's arrival, she did not want to take any chances. With the tussle that occurred not too long ago, she worried about the security of the plant eaters they traveled with. With the reassurance from Broken Jaw, Caius, and Flit that no harm would come to Hazel, she set off into the darkening blue horizon to check up on the herbivores.

It was not very difficult to stop the bleeding on the bite wound on his abdomen. The only problem with treating the injuries was his incessant urges to lick and scratch his wounds. Treating them would have been so much easier for the human if she had her first aid kit with her. Unfortunately, she used up most of the bandages she brought with her on Woodstock when her tail got amputated. That and these wounds did not look too serious and just needed minimal treatment. So, she had to make do with what was provided for her.

"You're lucky they're just scratches," Hazel commented as she replaced the last leaf on the bite mark that was on the abdomen. She threw the palm-sized foliage onto the 2-foot pile next to her, which was wet with his blood. "Shirley could have done much worse."

Caius and Flit broke out laughing; their reactions making them fall onto their backs.

"Shirley!?" the pterosaur guffawed. "That sounds like a girl's name! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Well, I had to name him something. He didn't have one," Hazel snickered.

"Whatever his name is, he's going to pay for what he did," Broken Jaw growled and slowly got up, only to be stopped by the human with a shout. Her outburst made him slump back onto the ground.

"Whoa whoa! Easy! It's best if you rest here for the night."

He looked at her incredulously. "I'm fine. I can handle myself."

"Oh?" she folded her arms in a mused fashion. "And what are you going to do at this time?"

"I'm going to kick that dung-hole out of my spot AND get some much needed payback."

"Oh no, you don't!" Caius yelled, now recovered from his laughing fit. He was joined by Flit when they both stormed up to the _Allosaurus_ , both of which blocked his path. "You're just going to take him on in this state? You were unprepared for that fight! Not to mention you barged in there without a plan! You go up to him now and you're going to get more than those scratches! You could lose your life!"

"He's right, BJ," Flit said, landing onto the riverbed sand, his wings folding near his body so he could walk on all fours. "You go up there now and he'll mess you up like a dried-up carcass."

The warnings his guardians were giving him made him grumble in resentment.

"Broken Jaw, they do have a point. He'll kill you if you're not in peak form," Hazel told him calmly, supporting the smaller individuals in preventing him from doing something rash. "And no offense, but you're getting all worked up about something so little as a sleeping spot. Why not just find another place to stay in?"

Broken Jaw snapped his head at her. The sudden pissed-off expression he gave put her on edge. She almost placed her had on her dagger but resisted so as to not provoke him into attacking.

"Are you kidding me!? Are you saying I should just let this go? Let him relish in the idea of kicking my butt? No no, he didn't just take away some of my meat, kiddo! He ruined my rep! And I...I wasn't strong enough to take him out!" he ranted, ending it by slamming his head onto the sand. His action caused some of the dust to go up in the air. At least there were no leaves on his face gashes; otherwise they would have fallen off.

"That hill was all I've ever known ever since my family kicked me out. It was a safe place for me while I learned how to be a hunter...and a place where all three of us could be safe. Now some random jerk-head kicked us out of the only place we called home."

"BJ, maybe she's right," the tiny pterosaur flapped his wings to blow the dust away from him. "Maybe we should just find another place to live."

"What?" he glared at the lot of them. "Are you saying we should leave?"

Flit nodded, unafraid by the growing temper of the youngling he and Caius raised for years. "Yeah. There isn't a lot of food around here. All you do is wait around until the main course comes around. And by that, I mean the folks that travel here. Before then, we're stuck eating small crawlies and slithery things."

"And it's only a matter of time before that Water Hole dries up. Would it not be better if we went to a place where we would not have to worry about these things?" Caius added, ending with a logical suggestion.

"No freaking way!" he roared over the sound of collapsing burning wood in the makeshift fire pit. The embers went up in a small blaze before relaxing. The smaller individuals jumped a little at the sound of his outburst. "You're talking about something that doesn't even exist! What's wrong with the way we're living? I kind of like being...opportunistic. Besides, where would that place even be?"

The sound of Broken Jaw going off about not knowing where they would go that had an abundance of food and water made Hazel want to smile. This was just the opening she could be looking for. She and Flia came here to find and rescue the _Allosaurus lucasi_ , the other species that lived in the Jurassic period. With them thinking of a new place to live, at least in Caius and Flit's case, and them trying to convince Broken Jaw to consider that option, what better way to hint at living in Prehistoric Park than now?

Hazel swallowed to moisten her throat. She took in a deep breath and started to give her case.

"Well...what if that kind of place does exist?"

All eyes fell on her. Keeping her composure, she allowed the smaller carnivore's reactions to occur.

"What do you mean?" the lithe predator and the former ocean-dwelling pterosaur spoke curiously.

"Well...let's say my friend Flia and I may know of a place where you can get all of that. You'll have all the food you can eat, no shortage of water, a good place to sleep, and wouldn't have to worry about fights because herbivores AND carnivores can live together in harmony. Would you be opposed to something like that?" she told them, describing Prehistoric Park in a blunt, yet descriptive explanation.

"Heck no! I'd love to live there!" Flit exclaimed gleefully and hopped in excitement.

"Same here," Caius showed the same level of enthusiasm, just without the bodily reaction his flying companion had. "I would not mind living in a place like that."

Hazel smiled, happy to hear that they were gung-ho about living in Prehistoric Park. But her hopes were dashed when Broken Jaw said otherwise.

"Humph, sounds nice and all...if it even exists," he said so in a dismissive manner.

The _Ornitholestes_ turned to him with a surprised reaction. The same went for the _Rhamphorhynchus_ , but in a more passive manner. "Broken Jaw, why are you dismissing an opportunity like this? This could be the chance we've been waiting for! A place with endless food, water, and peace!"

"Not to mention a lot of places to sleep! BJ, let's just go!"

"No!" Broken Jaw snapped at them, causing their jaws to slam shut. They glanced at each other in nervousness before giving him their undivided attention. "There's no such place that exists beyond the Salt Plains! It's too...fantastical. And what if that place isn't as cracked up as you think? We're staying here."

The unlikely duo frowned and let out displeasing sighs. The idea of them leaving now seemed like a distant dream. Sure, they could just up and leave for the place Hazel spoke of, but that would mean leaving Broken Jaw behind. They grew to love him as one of their own, and would not dare leave him; not just because he could protect them from most dangers, but because he was part of their family. So, it made sense to them that he would call the shots; if he left, they would go with him. If he said they would stay, then they must.

Broken Jaw's decision also disappointed Hazel. Her frown she made may have seemed like an idea he easily dismissed, but it also meant that the chance to rescue an _Allosaurus lucasi_ today, and the ones who raised him, was not going to happen. At least, for now. She knew he was going through a hard time after he got his butt kicked by Shirley, and thus expected him not to give the answer she was looking for. Perhaps when this whole _Torvosaurus_ business was over, he may be of a sound mind and would consider leaving the Water Hole.

But until then, returning to Prehistoric Park with them would have to wait. Hazel pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the immediate matter.

"Well, looks like you really want to take him out. You want to kick his butt now even after he kicked yours?"

"Yes!" Broken Jaw replied with all eagerness. His expression turned into one of uneasiness and then hopelessness. "But...he's too strong. You've seen him. He's a lot bigger than me. How can I beat something like that!? It's...impossible!"

Hazel groaned. She was not surprised this would happen. In fact, this was the second time she was giving this kind of pep talk. The first time she did it was with Aladar last year when they were trapped in that cave but ended up encountering a dead end towards the Nesting Grounds. He lost his will go move on right after a small ray of light they uncovered at the wall was taken from them due to a slip-up in the rocks collapsing. However, had it not been for her "harsh yet inspiring" words, they would not be alive today.

Taking in another deep breath, she pushed forward with this little deja vu.

"So... you're giving up? You're just going to let him push you around? Bully you for the rest of your life?"

The _Allosaurus_ eyed her like she was saying nonsense. "Well um...no," he replied hesitantly, but with a hint of uncertainty.

"Then why are you saying you're going to take him out when you just said you can't?" she replied in a blatant manner.

"I don't know, okay? I just...don't know," he let out a long dejected sigh. "He's too strong. You guys are right. If I go up to him, he'll just kill me. I'm a disgrace to my race if I can't take out something like that. Maybe I should just stay in this crack here for the rest of my life."

Hazel rolled her eyes at his response. Again, she knew that was coming. Unfortunately, when she was about to say something about that, the conversation was interrupted by the sound of large, flapping wings.

Looking over at the direction of the flapping, all of them took in the form of a purple female Pteranodon landing gracefully before them. They expected her to be relieved to be back in their presence. However, the light from the flames illuminated a face that was frantic with worry.

"Flia, how's everything at the Water Hole?" Hazel was the first to ask, wanting to know what had gotten the large pterosaur concerned.

She responded with a shake of her head. "Terrible. We have to do something about that...that...monster! He's disrupting the balance here!"

One of her eyebrows went up. "What do you mean?"

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A few minutes earlier...

Flia fought every urge to hurl. She had seen many things in her life; the amazing, the unusual, the nasty, and even the horrifying. But what she was looking at? This scene would be at the top of her list when it came to horrifying.

Her main purpose for leaving Hazel to treat Broken Jaw's wounds and to help his guardians with his treatment was to check out things at the Water Hole. There was nothing unusual at the body of water, save for the few herbivores and small carnivores that chose to go for an evening drink. Even she went to get a drink herself, however, unlike before, when she felt safe at the water's edge, she could not help but feel uneasy there. The arrival of Shirley brought about an air of apprehension. His attack on Broken Jaw was brutal, showing no regard to his claim on the hill where he lived. Even how he attacked her and Hazel showed that he was someone that would get anything he wanted, by force if necessary. He wanted them dead or in his stomach, and he was willing to go great lengths to make that happen.

Flia had her doubts on whether he knew of the Water Hole. Judging by what happened today, this was a carnivore that had never been here before. The Pteranodon had a hunch he had no clue that there was a certain etiquette to living here. Heck, he could just pop up from behind her and devour her on the spot.

But she knew he would not do so at that time. She saw him sleeping at the top of Broken Jaw's hill a few minutes ago. That she was relieved with. But that did not mean she could stop worrying. For all she knew, he could have been pretending to sleep.

After she quickly guzzled the water she needed and took off in a hurry, she made her quick checks on the Supersaurs and the Diplodocus herds. Scanning the hippie herbivores first, she found no signs of distress among them. They were vocalizing in the same manner they were doing when they met them yesterday. In fact, they seemed to be doing so as if they did not know about the new predator that made his presence known. Seriously, nothing could down their spirits! Other than noting how happy they were, she tried to look for Woodstock and her son Clearwater, but found no sign of them. She did ask one of the _Supersaurus_ on their whereabouts, with him replying in his hippie-esque manner that they were off getting some food.

With that information in mind, she then asked him on where the _Diplodocus_ herd was, which he responded were east of where they were. She thanked him and flew off. As she kept flying she noticed the Diplodocus herd getting comfortable for the night just passed a few hills, not far from where Hazel, Broken Jaw, and his company were at. She easily found Charles, who was getting situated at the very edge of the herd. Being the biggest one in the group, he was not too hard to miss.

The southern-esque sauropod greeted her like he normally would. Flia asked how he had been doing since their arrival. He told her they were doing okay physically. Finding food was a bit of a chore due to the drought, but at least they had plenty of water. The only downsides to being in this area was the _Torvosaurus_ newcomer, who was making their stay very uncomfortable since he and his herd got wind of the tussle that happened earlier that day, and the antics of the _Supersaurus_ herd they had to deal with. Actually, the _Supersaurus_ herd and Shirley were the reasons why they were so far away from the Water Hole. Charles knew of the battle she and Hazel were in and was grateful they survived. But Flia could not count the number of times he advised her not to have anything to do with that carnivore.

But the thing he did inform her about was how anxious the herd was with what they had found over the next two hills. The Diplodocus leader warned her not to go there, for doing so would scar her mind.

Flia thanked him for the information and wished him goodnight. When she flew off, she went in the direction of the "restricted zone" Charles spoke of. Curiosity getting the better of her, she went there without his knowledge.

Oh how she wished she followed that.

The scout's heart nearly skipped a beat when she looked upon the corpses. At least ten or so Stegosaurus were sprawled on the ground, at least a few feet from each other, most of which were younglings. Flies flitted about their bodies, gorging on the meat from the huge gashes they had on their bodies. The flesh that was exposed were starting to become rotten; tiny, rice-like maggots were already feasting upon the bodies, giving them a more disgusting appearance. The smell of blood and rotting flesh filled the air. The reason why Flia could not get a whiff of the scent when she was with the Diplodocus herd was because of the direction the wind was blowing the smell. When she arrived, all she felt like doing was vomiting.

Flia dared not to fly any further. Doing so would make her sick even more. These poor Stegosaurus did not show any signs of predatory consumption. Other than the wounds they had, they looked like they were killed for something other than carnivorous nourishment. With the number of kills and the lack of signs of scavengers, there could be no doubt they were killed just for sport.

She did not need to investigate too much on who the culprit was either. The large three-toed footprints that were around the bodies were already a tell-tale sign of who did this. Surely not an _Allosaurus_ like Broken Jaw or any other. These prints were far too large. No, there was only one other suspect who could have created this massacre.

Turning tail, or in this case, turning wing, Flia retreated from the kill site, desperate to get back to her best friend. She, along with those she was with, needed to be warned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It did not take very long for Flia to recant what she had seen. No detail was missed out when she told them of the spike-tailed corpses, the smell of rotting flesh, and the fact that they were slain recently. The reactions from the audience of four ranged from horrified to angered. Hazel had to keep her emotions from going out of control just from hearing about the slaughter. Broken Jaw was just as conserved, but still showed the same amount of anger. But the case for Caius and Flit was different...

"Oh man! We gotta do something about that guy! He can't do that!" the little pterosaur squawked madly.

"It's only a matter of time before this place becomes a kill field," the Ornitholestes stifled a snarl at the story.

"Well we gotta do something!" Flit snapped his head at the larger carnivore.

Almost immediately after saying that, everyone in the group turned their attention to the largest one among them. All eyes fell upon the _Allosaurus_ in all seriousness. Broken Jaw looked around, trying to see if they were looking at someone else. When he found that they were all looking at him, he let out a defensive outburst.

"Why are you all looking at me!?"

"Because you're the only other big carnivore in the Water Hole. I doubt anyone here will be able to take him out. You may be the only one here who can stop him," Caius said.

"But he's too strong! How can I take him out? He'll just kick my butt again! I think I'd rather just stay here and wallow in agony rather than do something I know I can't win in."

Hazel gazed at him sympathetically. She could see and feel his emotional distress through the mangled visage. If he was not a large Jurassic carnivore that could tear her apart, she could have brought him close to her and gave him a hug. "Broken Jaw, I've only known you for a short time, but listen to me. Stuff like this, this shit, it happens. You want to stay in this dried up river bed like a sore loser? Fine. Go do that. Be the loser that you are and let him kick you around. But you know? I know you're not going to do that. Because from the short time I've known you, I know you're not going to let this pass. You've got that warrior spirit inside of you. Yeah, Shirley is a lot bigger than you. He kicked your ass a while ago. But now you know what to expect. So...are you just going to sit around here and let him push you around like a ragdoll? Or are you going to do something about it?"

The _Allosaurus_ gave her a look of realization. She was right. He had been through worse. The worst time in his life was when his mother abandoned him years ago right after he received his trademark name. This time may be bad, but at least he was still alive. And she was right about him not wanting to let this go. He WANTED to get back at Shirley. He was not going to give up until he received his due.

Broken Jaw gave her a toothy grin, which Hazel could see through his handicap. "You know, you've got a lot more guts than I thought."

She shrugged her shoulders with a chuckle. "Maybe I do."

"Well isn't this interesting! You future-ladies didn't tell me you were having a little get-together! You should have told me earlier so I could have brought something to the party!"

The sound of that familiar hippie accent made the group quickly turn to the direction of the new visitor. Looking over, they were surprised to see the gigantic, red spiderweb-textured form of Woodstock slowly making her way to them. Hobbling next to her was her pale-colored son Clearwater, who was doing his best to keep up with his mother.

"Woodstock! Clearwater!" Flia blurted out their names in surprise.

"Hi Flia. Hi Hazel," the youngling sauropod greeted.

"What are you doing here?"

The _Supersaurus_ stopped just a few feet from the camping group, her son did the same but at a slower pace. "Well, Clearwater and I just got done with chowing down on greens when we smelled something smokin' in the air. We followed it, and here we are. Plus, we didn't see you for most of the day so we wanted to check up on you chicks. Glad to see you two are okay."

"Oh, we're fine. Just...helping a friend in need here," Hazel told them, gesturing her head to the injured Broken Jaw and then back to them.

At the sight of the Jurassic carnivore, Woodstock's enthusiasm dulled down. She put on a fake smile, for the sake of putting on a polite posture and to prevent any arguments with the time travelers. "Oh hey...BJ... And friends."

The gesture of the sauropod towards the other two Water Hole denizens caused them to wave awkwardly at the giant. She returned the greeting with a curt nod.

"Woodstock...Woodstock's kid," Broken Jaw did the same to them, except with a bit more grit in his tone.

"I heard about your little tussle with that new Carno," Woodstock started. "You doin' okay there?"

"Caught off guard and my pride's hurt...but I'll live."

It was listening to this awkward conversation between two natural enemies that Hazel exclaimed in an outburst. "Wait wait! Hold up! Time out!" she shook her hands overlapping each other for a moment before making a timeout signal. "I thought you two hated each other!"

The alpha _Supersaurus_ sputtered a laugh before setting herself onto the ground around the campfire, her son following her action. "Hated? Future-babe, I didn't say BJ and I hated each other. It's more like a "frenemy" relationship. We understand why we do our things. But every time we try to stop the other from gettin' on our nerves..."

"Like her herd eating the leaves on my tree or me coming after one of them for a meal..." Broken Jaw mentioned with a huff, then eyed Clearwater with a sadistic grin. The poor youngling huddled close to his mother, wanting to get away from the carnivore that could hurt him.

"We just keep coming back. So, we've got no hard feelings on each other," Woodstock said, giving a reassuring snout nudge to her son and said so in a cheerful manner.

"What about your tail?" Flia asked while peeking over the flames. The appendage that Woodstock had lay still in a curl, the bandages that Hazel applied stuck out in the dark like a sore thumb. "Broken Jaw clearly ripped it off and now you're left defenseless."

"Oh this?" she lifted it up for everyone to see before letting it rest with a thump. "Pfft, don't worry about it. We lose these things all the time in a lot of tussles with Carnos. I can't remember the number of times my Daddy lost his when he was around. Won't be long until I can do some slappin' again."

Hazel widened her eyes in astonishment. "You mean to say that you and others like you can REGROW your whip-like tails after they've been torn off!?"

"Bingo! Right on the dot!"

The human could not believe what she was hearing. That new bit of information caused her mouth to fall agape. In the 21st century, there was no evidence of any sauropod species being able to regrow their tails. Yes, there were some modern-day lizards that were able to do that, such as the whip-tail lizard, but sauropods? There was no proof in the fossil record that talked about that! Plus, this was the first time she was hearing about this and she was a big fan of the giant longnecks!

 _"Whoa...better let Nigel know about this when we get back,"_ she mused to herself. _"We may have to find a way to discreetly let the scientific community know about this discovery and have them rewrite the biology books."_

"Well...," Hazel cleared her throat in amusement. "I'm glad things are...going swell for you."

"So, you're not scared that you're now sitting close to a carnivore that can hurt you and your son?" Flia eyed the plant eaters with concern.

Woodstock shook her head. "Nope. As soon as we saw you two near these guys and they weren't hurting you, we assumed we could join in. And I'm okay with hanging with you guys so long as the Future-Babes here, my boy, and I don't get turned into main entrees."

She then glared at the trio who lived in the Water Hole, specifically the _Allosaurus_ that did not seem to be paying any mind to her. "Right?"

"Oh! Yeah! Totally! Join the party!" Flit hid his nervousness with a lighthearted chuckle.

"You're welcome here!" Caius seconded.

"Can't even move anyway," Broken Jaw snorted. "Count yourself lucky this time. It's 'cause of my messed-up state I can't come after you."

"Oh, don't be such a grump BJ!" Woodstock reassured, causing him to give a confused gaze at the huge herbivore. "That douche Carno may have scrapped you this time, but you'll get back at him. Besides, at least now you've got folks here who are lookin' after your wounds. First time we tussled, you didn't have anyone!"

Broken Jaw let out an angry roar. "You didn't have to bring that up!"

"Whoops! Sorry!" the _Supersaurus_ leaned her head back in a startled fashion, though she was not intimidated by the sudden outburst. "But man! Now we're like on the same level now! You got your injury, I got my stub of a tail, we're like two rocks in a log!"

"Don't compare yourself to me! I could have taken away much more than your tail! Like your head or your tongue!"

"Ouch! Harsh words my man! Well, I'll never forget that day. And the Future-Babes here? They won't either. I mean, they were there when I slapped you!" Woodstock said in a lighthearted fashion.

Said human and Pteranodon shot her a cold glare. The mention of them bearing witness to Broken Jaw's fateful injury made the both of them want to force some rocks down the sauropod's throat. Did she have to mention that!? That was a detail that was better left unsaid or there was no need to mention it at all! Now all eyes fell on them, all of which were wondering whether what the _Supersaurus_ said was true or if she was making it up.

"Wait...what?" Flit squawked in surprise.

"Hazel and Flia were not around when we found Broken Jaw. We never saw them!" Caius rasped loudly.

"Oh, that's because they made tracks before his Mama," Woodstock looked over at the now intrigued Broken Jaw, who was looking at Hazel and Flia like they were from another world. "Came down to check up on him. That was the last time I ever saw of them, until yesterday at least."

"You two, is this true? Were you there when this happened?" the _Allosaurus_ asked them, holding back a snarl in his tone.

The first to answer was Hazel, who did so with a reluctant breath. "Guess there's no running away from this one. Yeah BJ. We were there. But you got to believe me when I say I wanted to help you after you got your...injury."

Broken Jaw leaned a little closer to the hairless ape. She grabbed the dagger at her side in a defensive reflex. She watched as he came close until they were mere inches from each other's faces. "Then, why didn't you?"

"Because if we did," Flia stepped in front of him, her wings slightly raised in case they needed to escape. "Then your mother would have accused us of giving you your mangled jaw. Hazel here wanted to help you, but I could not let that happen at the cost of her life."

They stared at each other intensely, not letting up in their silent tirade. Flia squinted her eyes in response to Broken Jaw doing the same. This was something he did not need to know about, but they were afraid of him attacking out of rage for not helping him in the past, or keeping this information secret. The time travelers held their guard up, ready to retaliate should he fly off the handle.

Miraculously, they did not need to. The _Allosaurus_ snorted at them before pulling away from the stare contest.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he asked, turning his attention towards the flames.

"We didn't know how to tell you," Hazel started to explain. She then proceeded with her defense, and put in as much emotion as she could into what she kept bottled inside for the past few days. "Broken Jaw, when I saw you back then, bloody and beaten down, I feared the worst. I was afraid Woodstock killed you. I wanted to help! But due to the circumstances we were in, I was unable to. When Flia and I escaped, I assumed you were dead. I was beating myself up for days when we left you back there!"

"It's true, she would not stop being so depressed about it," Flia supported.

"But now here you are; healthy, stronger, and all grown up," the tank-top clad human gave him a small smile. It pleases me to know you survived."

"Humph, well your acquaintance was long overdue."

"What happened to your mother anyway?" Hazel questioned, wanting to change the topic. Though she knew he had a mother from their last encounter with him, she had no idea if he had any siblings or not. "And the rest of your family?"

Broken Jaw shrugged his shoulders while not tearing his attention from the flames. "Moved out of here a long time ago, not that I care anyway. Couldn't stand being in this place, so they made tracks and left for elsewhere. Sometimes I wonder if it's because of what happened to me."

Flia shook her head. "No Broken Jaw. Don't think like that. I'm sure they had other reasons that were not related to you."

"If you were my mother," he said, now staring into the eyes of the large flyer. "Would you abandon someone like this?"

She shook her head once more. "No, I wouldn't. If I had any younglings that had a injury like that, I would not leave them."

Broken Jaw scoffed. "Figures. You're just saying that 'cause you pity me."

"No. I'm saying that because that is what I would do."

"I don't know what it's like where you come from," he started with a bit of a growl. "But around here, you got to be tough to survive."

"I grew up in that same kind of world too," Flia said unmoving from her position. "However, not too long ago, I found that survival does not have to come from being strong."

The carnivore lifted an eye ridge up, his eye horn going up with it. "And who taught you that? Surely not Woodstock or her kind."

The Pteranodon shot a friendly smile at the human, who returned the gesture with a wink. "A few friends of mine."

The groan Broken Jaw made caused them to return their attention to him. "Sometimes I wish I didn't have this thing," he said while licking the teeth in his lower jaw. "I'd have an easier time eating and I'd look a little better. But instead, my mouth looks like some dry bone that got crushed by someone's foot."

"Broken Jaw, don't say that," Hazel said calmly, placing a hand on his breathing chest.

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Well, for one thing," she started with a shrug of her shoulders. "If you never got your injury, you would have never met Caius or Flit. Second, appearances shouldn't really matter. It's what inside that counts. Third, you're pretty well-known in the Water Hole; Broken Jaw, the Allosaurus who survived a slap to the head."

"It's true, dude. Bunch of folks know you big time," Woodstock said offhandedly. A quick glance over at the sauropod revealed she was watching her son fall asleep; his head now curled close to his body. She shot them a little grin before returning her gaze on the youngling.

"Yeah, they know I can eat them whenever," he let out a blatant breath.

"And that you're King of the Hill," Hazel mentioned, folding her arms.

"WAS King of the Hill," Broken Jaw reiterated. His response was met by a descending tone in the human's voice.

"Hey, remember what we talked about."

"Yeah yeah. So, even though I'm hurt, and could eat you if I wanted to, you're still helping me?" the yellow carnivore said, watching the smaller newcomers for any confirmation.

"Of course!" Hazel said with enthusiasm then let her arms rest at her sides. "Isn't that what a friend would do?"

"We've only known each other for a day."

"So?" she scrunched up her smile for a moment. "Couldn't just leave you."

The heartfelt moment was then interrupted by a little squawk. Looking over at the other edge of the campfire, the larger individuals noticed the forms of Caius and Flit leaving. Or more specifically, they headed towards the desert vegetation closer to the Water Hole.

"Well...I like this emotional moment we're having," Flit said as he flew off, his words starting to become fainter. "But I'm starved. I don't know about you guys, but I haven't eaten anything since before that guy muscled in on our turf! I'm going to go find some grub!" The flyer was already a far distance away by the time he got to the last part of the sentence.

"And I will help with getting food for myself and Broken Jaw," Caius said next, following slowly behind the ocean-dwelling pterosaur that was already leagues further from him.

Hazel stood back up. She flexed her arm and back muscles with a few twists of her body. The bone cracks echoed in the air. "I guess it is high time we get something to eat. Good thing I packed us some food for myself and Flia."

"Finally! I've been waiting to hear that for a while! Hurry up and get that food!" Flia eagerly cawed with beaming eyes at her.

The Asian chuckled. "Okay okay! Hold your horses!"

"Horses?" the Cretaceous scout shot her a blank look. "What are those?"

"Ugh, nevermind," she waved her hand dismissively. She then looked back at her with realization, or to be more exact, in a devious sort of way. "Oh wait...the bag is back where the other _Supersaurus_ are staying..."

Flia frowned. She had forgotten her partner left her supplies with Woodstock's herd for safekeeping. And that was where she kept all of the food too.

"Why didn't you just ask me to get it for you when I was out?"

"Guess it slipped my mind?" Hazel made an over reactive frown. "Mind if you go and get it? I need to stay here and tend to the fire, plus keep an eye on everyone else."

The Pteranodon groaned. Before she took off, Hazel made her way over to her and unbuckled her saddle. The human-made contraption thumped on the ground, sending some dust in the air. Once it did, and with a small breeze at her back, the pterosaur took off into the night sky; her belly pestering her for nourishment.

 _A.N. There is no evidence that diplodocids can regrow their tails. This is just for the sake of the story._


	10. Haven Lost

_Hey guys! Marc and Darksage are here with another chapter to this amazing adventure. Sorry it took a while to write. Some things came our way._

 _Now before you read, we want to let you know that we have been reading your reviews. Thank you so much for supporting us with your thoughts. This series could not survive without your support. Now, we also want to let you know that we are looking over the creatures you want us to rescue. We don't want to spoil which ones we have chosen, for that would be revealing the future of the series. Please be patient; art cannot be rushed._

 _Now, without further ado, let's get this show on the road!_ _ **Disclaimer: We don't own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, Walking with Dinosaurs, or Dinosaur Revolution. We also don't own the music. They belong to their respective owners. We only own the characters we created.**_

 _ **Soundtrack: Scowler Duel by Paul Leonard-Morgan**_

The next day...

Broken Jaw marched on, his body and mind telling him to. His wounds from his previous fight had not fully healed, but they recovered to the point where they had closed up, at least for the most part. However, with each step he took, the bite mark on his abdomen stung. Broken Jaw had been through worse punishment, and this one was where his willpower overshadowed his bodily ailments. The determination he had burned like a Jurassic wildfire, and it was one that could not be doused so easily.

Following close behind him were his guardians, Flit and Caius. Not wanting to see him die, they decided to go and accompany him...and to give Shirley a piece of their mind. However, they were mostly there for Broken Jaw. The _Allosaurus_ grew from a youngling that needed their protection to an individual that had become an important part of their lives. If he was going to go down, then they were going to go down with him.

But the _Ornitholestes_ and the _Rhamphorhynchus_ were not the only ones to accompany the lion of the Jurassic in this battle. Flying just above him were Hazel and Flia. Before they left, Broken Jaw and his friends were having a quick morning meal, consisting of a few lizards Caius managed to catch and two small mammal carcasses that Flit found. The _Pteranodon_ and human left them for the Water Hole, not only to get their own food, but also to scout around for the whereabouts of Shirley. Sure enough, when they returned, they informed them that he was sleeping beneath the tree on their hill.

But as to why they are accompanying them in Broken Jaw's battle, they had no idea. They just would not say. Regardless, Caius and Flit appreciated their company, grateful of the added protection they now had.

"Broken Jaw, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Caius inquired, looking up to the predator he helped to raise. "You can always rest for another day until your wounds are healed properly."

"Yeah, and it's not like that guy isn't going anywhere," Flit fluttered next to the giant predator's head. His close proximity to his eye made him look like a small bug to a giant. "He'll still be around...though I wish something would just kill him already."

The _Allosaurus_ quickened his pace, wanting to get some more space between his comrades. "That's exactly why I need to do this. If no one else can kill that jerk, then I'm the only one that can."

Hazel and Flia flew down a few feet so they could be closer. The carnivore was mildly surprised by their sudden appearance, though if they did that again, he felt like swatting them away with his tail.

"Don't be so sure!" the human told him off like a mother lecturing her child. "You need to have a plan before you go and attack. You know what happened last time."

Broken Jaw shot them a death glare before looking away with a stubborn snort. "Oh I have a plan; keep moving and don't get hit."

Hazel closed her eyes and shook her head, sensing his hotheadedness again. "That isn't enough. Just barging in head-on isn't always wise. You need some help."

"I can do this myself! So don't even think about stopping me!"

Flia stepped in front of her friend to placate the Jurassic predator. "We weren't going to stop you."

"Wait what?" Broken Jaw widened his eyes in surprise at the unexpected offer.

"You heard me. We're not stopping you," Flia said with finality in her voice. "We're doing this with you."

Flit looked back and forth between the purple pterosaur and his yellow charge. "Uh, no offense ladies. But what did that guy ever do to you? Other than try to attack you after you started it with him, you guys don't really have a stake in this."

"Isn't it obvious? If that guy isn't driven out, then everyone at the Water Hole is in danger." Hazel started while crossing her arms. She then jerked her head to the desert toned _Allosaurus_. "And this hotheaded buck-o here can't do this by himself. So we're helping to protect the integrity of this area."

Broken Jaw looks at them for a moment. It still mystified him that the giant flyer and the strange mammal were this altruistic to total strangers without getting something out of it. As far as Broken Jaw knew, no creature did anything out of the "goodness of their heart". The scarred survivor gave the travelers a resigned snort before walking ahead.

"Fine. It's your death wish."

The multi-species procession steadily made their way towards the Water Hole. Despite Hazel's initial analysis of Broken Jaw's short-fused character, the theropod proved otherwise. The crooked mouthed Allosaur was more alert to his surroundings and intently listening to the slightest oddities in the environment. The 20-year old woman was honestly impressed at his change of character; Hazel chalked it up to Broken Jaw's mindset of self-preservation through his horrible experiences. He had already been maimed when he was young and now recently by a larger carnivore; it was clear that Broken Jaw NEVER made the same mistakes twice.

The odd group of five made it to one of the hills that overlooked the desert oasis. They remained hidden to carefully observe the Water Hole, and if they can find any sign of the threatening crimson theropod. At the moment, the area was relatively calm. Many of the sauropods, both _Supersaurus_ and _Diplodocus_ , were meandering around the water's shore either drinking or socializing amongst themselves. A family of _Stegosaurus_ was also gathered at the Water Hole to cool themselves off. However, Hazel could practically feel the tension in the air. The façade the dinosaurs portrayed was merely an act, as they appeared more on edge and looking out for the murderous _Torvosaurus_.

At the Water Hole's shore, Hazel could distinguish Woodstock laying down and thumping her tail against the ground, testing the new weight of her temporarily severed whiptail. A short distance away was her son Clearwater, hobbling towards the water to get a drink. The Asian woman gave a sigh of relief.

At least "Shirley" didn't turn the Water Hole into a murder scene.

"Okay, looks like things are normal for the moment," Hazel said to her prehistoric compatriots. "Shirley should be sleeping on the hill. If we do this right, we can ambush him and drive him out for good."

Flit was busy scanning the area before he spoke up. "Uh, that would be a good idea...if the guy we're looking for is even here at all."

Hazel eyed the _Rhamphorhynchus_ suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" Hazel questioned. "He should be sleeping on the hill."

"Except he's not..." Flit pointed a winged finger at the place.

Everyone looked over to the hill with a single tree growing on it and to their surprise, saw no one there. All of them were in a state of shock.

Hazel was the first to lose her cool. "What the—!? That bastard was just there when we were here earlier! Where could he have gone!?"

"What do we do now?" Caius asked with a bit of worry coloring his tone.

"Hold on, I'm thinking."

As the lone human was pondering where the large theropod could have gone, Flia caught movement at the corner of her eye. In the distance in thick foliage was a crimson muzzle filled with sharp dagger teeth. Flia followed the muzzle's line of sight and to her horror, her eyes locked onto innocent Clearwater still ambling to the water.

"Hazel!" At Flia's tone, Hazel snapped her eyes to where her partner was looking at and was immediately struck with horror.

"Oh shit..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One moment, there was peace and everything was calm at the Water Hole. Many of the dinosaurs were relaxing in the desert oasis, Clearwater was shambling to get a drink, and his mother was nearby fretting over her tail.

Then, the moment ended.

 ***RRRROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR***

Sprinting out of the forest and bellowing at the top of his lungs like a mad man was the new bane to the Water Hole. The young Clearwater had only a second to take in the situation before he was broadsided by the speeding Torvosaur.

"AAAAHHHH!"

It all happened so fast. One moment he was on all four of his feet, the next he was violently struck down and on his back. At the juvenile sauropod's cry, all of the prehistoric animals fled in the wake of the terrifying theropod.

The _Torvosaurus_ was savagely trying to get to the vital areas of the young sauropod in order to kill him. Fortunately, Clearwater was just strong enough to use his legs in multiple attempts to push the carnivore off and fight back. After struggling for more than he was willing to put up with, the crimson beast snarled and viciously bit down on the young herbivore's right forefoot.

"Ow! Ow! OW!" The child _Supersaurus_ cried. Letting instinct take over, Clearwater brought up his malformed leg to strike his attacker's face. "Let. Me. GO!"

The youngling's persistence gave him a short reprieve as "Shirley" slightly flinched back as the sauropod's foot struck his eye. It was enough of a distraction, as help came in the form of an angry Woodstock knocking the predator away with the stump of her tail.

The mother sauropod rumbled furiously as she glared at the red carnivore. "Beat it red skuzzball!" Woodstock quickly glanced at her son. "Run baby boy!"

Clearwater got back on his feet and hobbled as fast as he could to get away. The Torvosaur snarled and tried to resume the chase for his meal. However, he was stopped in his tracks when he was body-checked by an angered Woodstock.

"Ah, ah, ah! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" the mother rumbled, straightening up to her maximum height for intimidation.

"Giant longneck too cocky," the red tyrant sneered. "You have short tail. You can't beat me."

Woodstock huffed aggressively, "Oh yeah? Well this bad girl's going to knock your block off!"

With a swipe of her neck, the _Supersaurus_ knocked away the predator. However, it was not enough as the Torvosaur recovered and pounced on her back and latched his teeth to her. Woodstock screamed out when his teeth punctured her hide, but was strong enough to buck him off. He fell to the side and was nearly crushed when Woodstock reared up to crush the theropod; unfortunately, Shirley rolled out of the way as the furious sauropod's feet stomped the ground. Having enough, the carnivore leaped at Woodstock and hooked his claws on her. With a titanic pull, the Torvosaur yanked the _Supersaurus_ mother and threw her to the ground. He then darted after the fleeing Clearwater while Woodstock was temporarily indisposed.

Before Shirley could get close to attacking, he was once again interrupted.

 ***RRRROOOOAAAARRRR***

Charging from his hiding place, Broken Jaw decided to capitalize on the situation and attack while the red theropod was distracted. He probably should have heeded the warnings his friends were shouting at him when her broke cover, but the underlying rage he had for the _Torvosaurus_ was so large that Broken Jaw desperately WANTED to kill the usurper of his hill. With his mind made up, the desert colored _Allosaurus_ clamped his jaws around the red carnivore's throat like a vice. While the smaller predator couldn't get the killing blow right away, Broken Jaw began to savagely claw and kick at Shirley, cutting up more bloody wounds on the red skinned theropod.

Unfortunately, Shirley outweighed Broken Jaw quite a bit as he dragged around the yellow theropod as the Torvosaur thrashed about. Shirley retaliated with his own claws and slashes, piercing Broken Jaw's own hide. Despite his best efforts, Broken Jaw had to relinquish his hold on the savage carnivore to avoid any more slashes. As he released his grip, the Torvosaur struck the Allosaur in the face, knocking him down. As the crimson carnivore was going for his own killing blow, he was interrupted yet AGAIN.

"Oi! Shirley Temple!"

Shirley's eyes were skyward as he saw Hazel and Flia diving from the sky. At the last possible second, the Sky-Scouts pulled up and clawed at the _Torvosaurus'_ face before flying off again. Following their lead, Caius and Flit began to their attack and started to _literally_ bit at his ankles.

After a few strafing attacks from Hazel and Flia, the red dinosaur was annoyed at the constant assaults to him that he settled for a fight that he could win; the yellow pterosaur and scavenger. With a quick swipe of his tail, he flicked away Caius and Flit, causing their small bodies to heavily impact the ground. They were still alive, but they had the wind knocked out of them.

"Puny bugs annoy me! You will be appetizers!" The Torvosaur snarled.

As the predator was stalking closer to devour the small stunned dinosaurs, Broken Jaw recovered and ran forward to protect his friends. The Allosaur bit down on the large carnivore's thigh and pulled. With his jaw uniquely shaped, instead of simply piercing the red dinosaur's leg, Broken Jaw's bite disgustingly _shredded_ the flesh in the thigh. Shirley cried out as he stumbled away to get some distance between himself and the yellow Allosaur. Despite having tasty flesh between his teeth, he disgustingly spat out the Torvosaur's flesh in a sign of defiance and show of superiority.

Broken Jaw shifted his misaligned jaw back and forth as he growled. "Lay off! Your fight's with me!"

Shirley snarled as he charged forward, albeit with a limp due to his shredded thigh, to take a bite out of the smaller carnivore. Luckily the Allosaur dodged, causing the Torvosaur to bite nothing but air.

"Wow, missed by a mile!" Broken Jaw taunted. "What happened to all that battle prowess from yesterday 'Big Red'?"

 ***RRRROOOOAAAARRRR***

He tried to charge the Allosaur again, but the Torvosaur's face was struck with Broken Jaw's tail making him stumble off to the side. Broken Jaw then pounced on the red beast's back and bit down on his neck again. Being put off-balance by the sudden weight of the yellow carnivore, Shirley toppled over and was pinned to the ground as the _Allosaurus_ continued to assault the tyrant in his vice-like grip. The _Torvosaurus_ was roaring in agony at being savaged by the physically weaker predator.

"Get off me yellow shrimp!" Shirley roared.

The crimson monster reared up and overpowered Broken Jaw's hold, shaking him off of his back. Shirley then slashed the desert carnivore's face again with his claws, followed up with a tail swipe, knocking the Allosaur to the ground.

The Torvosaur was intercepted from his follow up attack by a sudden tail swipe from his _Supersaurus_ opponent. Her tail whip caused him to stagger near the Water Hole, before he recovered and snarled at the charging Woodstock.

"No one messes with BJ but me!" The sauropod bellowed.

Woodstock attempted to strike the theropod again with her tail stub, but the carnivore caught the injured tail in his jaws. His teeth sank into the white bandages that covered the worst of the wound from before.

"Gah, not again!" Woodstock screamed as she frantically tried to tug her tail out of Shirley's teeth. Each pull caused the teeth to tear at the fabric that masked her horrid wound. "LET GO!"

Hazel and Flia made their way back around to take in the situation. When they saw Woodstock in her predicament, Hazel prompted Flia to dive at the crimson theropod. Hazel patted Flia as they were diving to alert her

"Flia, at the last second, I need you to spin into a corkscrew!"

"Wait, a what?" Flia squawked.

Hazel huffed in irritation. She REALLY needed to get her friends caught up on 21st century idioms.

"Fly upside down so I can attack his head!"

Despite hearing the clearly insane maneuver, Flia sped up to execute her part. With a shift in her wings, the duo began to shift their center of gravity. When they passed over the Torvosaur's head, now fully upside down, Hazel swiftly pulled her dagger out of her sheath and quickly lashed out.

 ***RRRAAAAHHHH!***

Hazel's daring move cut a deep wound on the top of his scalp. She and Flia righted themselves and glided across the Water Hole and landing, putting the water source in between themselves and the Torvosaur. The human riding her partner quickly sheathed her dagger while keeping balance on the saddle.

Enraged, the carnivore released his hold on Woodstock and dashed right to the water's edge, eager to devour the flying pests. Hazel dismounted Flia and moved away from her friend to further split Shirley's focus.

"Hey! HEY! Right here Shirley Temple!" Hazel screamed at the top of her lungs and jumping and wildly waving her arms, intent on distracting the predator so that Woodstock could recover. "Two for one meal deal, right here! COME AND GET IT!"

Catching onto her plan, Flia began to flap her wings and taunt the carnivore as well. "Come and get us! Or are we too difficult for a predator like you to catch? Maybe you should stick to lizards instead!"

"Rah! Damned flyer pests!" The red beast shouted, oblivious of the killer intent coming from the hippie-like behemoth behind him coming closer.

Before Hazel could come up with more taunts, her jumping landed her foot in the water, completely soaking her foot. While mildly annoyed, her mind swiftly remembered the strict rules concerning the desert's oasis. Gasping, her eyes zeroed in on the lumbering Woodstock approaching the distracted theropod and rearing up.

Her frantic arm waving was now trying to alert the tunnel-visioned Woodstock to prevent her from making a mistake. "Wait! No, no, no! STOP!"

Woodstock's furious rumbling caught the attention of the Torvosaur, making him turn to face her. "You mess with my baby boy, you mess with me! Now I'm gonna send ya packin'!"

Shirley, while immense in strength, had very little brainpower to understand his situation. His solution to most problems was either: "Attack Meat!" or "Scare Meat". This was why the red carnivore was brashly roaring at the reared up sauropod in an attempt to scare her off. However, before he could realize his intimidation wasn't working, it was too late.

With a titanic slam, Woodstock's immense weight came crashing down right on top of the red carnivore, cutting off the monster's roar and giving way to a sickening "Crunch" from his now flattened torso. Woodstock's attack knocked the _Torvosaurus_ into the shallow waters of the Water Hole before the entirety of her weight crashed down onto him, forcing the crushed dinosaur violently spurt out blood from his eyes, nostrils, and mouth; all of that monster's blood spilt directly into the desert water, turning the clear water into a horrifying red.

"WOO! Now THAT is how you take care of a Carno!" Woodstock cheered. She turned and gave an appreciative nod to Hazel and Flia. "Thanks for distractin' him Future-ladies!"

Instead of hearing endless praise, Woodstock was met with silence. The duo had a look of horror on their faces, as their gaze was fixated behind the dwarfing _Supersaurus._ The girls' stunned reactions confused Woodstock as she lumbered closer to her new friends.

Unseen by the girls at the Water Hole, Broken Jaw, Caius, and Flit were quick to scramble away from the Water Hole as fast as possible. The carnivorous trio had more foresight than most of the creatures in their era, and they could only assume the worse when Woodstock finished off the red predator; they didn't want to stick around for the inevitable fallout.

Woodstock spoke up to the silent Sky-Scouts in an attempt to make them "unfrozen". "Uh...ladies? This is the part where you thank me?"

Before Hazel could reply, she heard a steadily increasing murmur of angry voices coming towards the water's edge.

"From what we're seeing, gratitude is something you won't be getting..." The Asian girl said with a worried look.

"What are you talkin' about?"

The time traveler simply pointed to the growing crowd of angry Water Hole denizens behind the sauropod. Although Woodstock was taken aback from the sudden hostility aimed at her, the Supersaur gave a relaxed grin as she greeted her neighbors.

"Uh, hey fellas!" Woodstock stuttered, "Did you see me take out that Carno? Pretty sweet, right?"

"You idiot! You ruined it!" A _Stegosaurus_ yelled.

The sauropod visibly flinched at the sharp tone used on her "Ruined what?"

At this moment, Charles the _Diplodocus_ strode up to the front of the angry mob.

"Miss Woodstock, was it not you that said that no conflict was to occur at the shores of the Water Hole?" The leader _Diplodocus_ tentatively questioned.

The gray and red Supersaur nodded. "Yeah? I did say that? Why're you bringing that up?"

"Because I believe you just went against the one thing every single one of us tried to uphold." Charles craned his head over to the Water Hole, making Woodstock take in the mistake she had made.

The once pristine desert oasis was now sullied with the freshly warmed corpse of the Torvosaur. The crushed predator's blood just kept pouring out and continued to dye the clear water of the Water Hole red. What was even more morbid was that the Torvosaur was still _conscious_ as his broken body bled out on the shore. With his head partially submerged in the water, the carnivore was forced to choke and sputter as he tried and failed to fill his lungs with air, which in turn only continued to violently churn out blood from his mouth.

However, the most important aspect of the murderous scene was the now crimson hue of the watering hole.

Woodstock's heart dropped as realization set in. "Aw shit..."

A _Supersaurus_ from Woodstock's Commune marched up and was practically in the alpha sauropod's face. "Woodstock you moron! You ruined our only source of water for miles!"

"Yo! I'm sorry man!" Woodstock violently retorted as she used her mass to bump her subordinate back. Clearwater hobbled over to his mother with concern on his face; Woodstock leaned down to nuzzle the young sauropod to ease his worry before continuing. "I was only trying to protect my kid and my buds! And ain't that red skuzz the reason why you dudes have been frettin' around lately? I took him out for ya so you should at least be happy that he's gone!"

"And we are grateful Woodstock," another _Stegosaurus_ from the crowd said, giving the Supersaur proper recognition for her action despite the circumstances. "That mindless monster has indeed done wrong by slaughtering innocents without regard. But no one is exempt from our laws, not even you, even if you had the best of intentions. You took away the one thing that sustains us in this part of the Salt Plains!"

The mob of prehistoric creature all clamored around Woodstock in anger. All while this was happening, Woodstock just stood there resigned. She knew better than anyone that what she did to her community's safe haven was an unspeakable act; so she had no ground to stand on to even attempt to plead her case. The sauropod could only look shamefaced as her once close neighbors berated her and angrily shouted for her banishment.

Having enough, Hazel and Flia flew down from the sky and landed in front of Woodstock to try to help mitigate the hatred directed towards her.

"Hey knock it off! Can't you guys give her a break? She was just trying to protect everyone here!" Hazel shouted.

Her partner nodded in agreement. "Yes, the water is gone, but at least you are all safe now!"

A small-unnamed scavenger amongst the crowd scoffed at the indignant duo for their naivety of their community's cornerstone laws. "We can't survive here without pure water! It's going to take forever before that pond dries up then rejuvenates again with the rains!"

"Not to mention the water would probably still be impure by the time they do!" another scavenger shrieked.

"Someone who has done this stupid act is no longer welcome here," a male _Stegosaurus_ grunted as he thumped his tail to the ground to release a small amount of his agitation.

Another _Stegosaurus_ continued off of the male. "She's lucky we're just banishing her from the Water Hole. If she didn't save us from that Torvosaur, then Woodstock's punishment would have been more severe."

"Hey come on! It was just an accident!" Woodstock exclaimed, having enough of being the Water Hole's punching bag. She desperately turned to her herd mates, the very individuals that she formed her Commune with when she took up her father's mantle of leadership, in an attempt to find that they still had her back. "Brothas and Sistas! You get me, right? If you had a loved one being attacked, you would protect them no matter the risk, right? Come on, level with me here!"

"Sorry big lady, but you broke the big rule here. And we don't accept rule breakers in our little group," One of the females of her Commune immediately replied, clearly with no sympathy in her tone. "Come on fellas, let's bounce."

At the apparent new leader's call, the rest of the Supersaurs began to lumber away from their now devastated ex-leader. Infuriatingly, one of the sauropods saw it fit to mock the defunct leader as he passed by her by flicking his tail at her face, stinging Woodstock's face. In the wake of the departing _Supersaurus_ Commune, the other larger herbivores started to leave as well. They too were incensed at leaving their desert oasis sooner than expected and were silently cursing the red and grey sauropod's name under their breath, further dampening Woodstock's spirits. The smaller carnivores huffed and retreated from the area, darting off in different directions into the parched woods in hopes in finding what little resources they can scavenge. At the sight of her neighbors leaving her in the dust, Woodstock gritted her teeth as she roared out in frustration.

"Aw seriously!? You just goin' to kick me out because of a little accident!? Fine! Go die in a mud hole for all I care! You guys are lame! RAH!"

 ***CRACK!***

In Woodstock's fury, she used her stubbed tail to fall a husk of a tree, reducing it to splinters. However, with her tail still recently injured, immediate pain shot through her and she just cursed and paced in anger.

Clearwater approached his emotionally hurt mother with confusion. "Mom, what's going on? Why's everyone leaving?"

Woodstock lowered her head to nuzzle her son, more for her benefit than for Clearwater's.

"They're um...they're leavin' us behind kiddo," Woodstock sniffled as she tried to put on a brave face for her child.

"What? Mom, what are we going to do without a herd?" Clearwater questioned.

"I don't know baby, I don't know..." the ex-leader sighed as she rose up and shook her head in shame. "The fault's on me, and it's 'cause of me that we've been ditched by our group."

Hazel was the only one brave enough to approach the devastated mother. The human traveler came up to the sauropod's foot and placed her hand on her in sympathy.

"No Woodstock, this wasn't your fault. If there is someone here you should blame, it's the Torvosaur," Hazel consoled. "He started this whole thing in the first place. You took him out, restoring the peace to the Water Hole. So don't beat yourself up over this."

"Hazel is right. There is no point in dwelling in the past. It's time to move on." Flia said as she too came forward to help comfort the Supersaur.

Woodstock sniffled a few times, touched at her new friends' empathy, but taking their words with a grain of salt. "Future-ladies, I dig the whole 'keep movin' forward' deal, but without a herd to provide safety, I doubt either of us will survive."

"I beg to differ."

Everyone turned to the sudden southern voice that interjected. Lumbering up to the group was Charles and the rest of his herd ambling up behind him. The _Diplodocus_ leader had a stoic mien as he approached the distraught Supersaur. Woodstock, already feeling at her lowest point, could only rumble in irritation.

"Oh great, are you fellas gonna to throw a hissy fit over my mistake? If you are, I don't want to hear it!" The red and grey sauropod sneered.

Charles shook his head. "No Miss Woodstock. It's anything but that. You saved everyone here. While it is true that we are upset that we no longer have anything pure to drink, we are grateful that you took care of that monster. You may have lost your family, but you did not lose those who saw your actions as logical. For that, you are welcome to travel with us."

The remnants of Woodstock's group were touched at the altruism shown by the _Diplodocus_ leader. Overcome with emotion, Woodstock strode up to Charles and used her neck to embrace him in a sauropod equivalent of a hug.

"Aw that true, Charlie? You lettin' us hang with you after what happened?" Woodstock cheered with tears of joys spilling from her eyes.

The _Diplodocus_ merely nodded. "Indeed."

"Radical! I knew I could trust you! You da best man!" Woodstock cheered. She then stood next to him and nudged him—albeit a little too hard—to show her affection. Surprising action caused him to stumble a bit, but the _Diplodocus_ took the action in stride.

"Ahem...good. Glad we got that settled." Charles said, a bit flustered in his tone. "Now then, we've a long journey ahead of us, and as we all know, the Salt Plains shows no mercy to the weak. There is no food or water until we reach the other side. So rest up and regain your strength. We leave at first light."

Woodstock eagerly nodded, "Roger dodger, Charlie-boy!"

Clearwater also smiled, happy for their new group of friends. "Yeah! Thanks Mr. Charlie!"

The two species of sauropods agreed and meandered off, resting, eating the collection of foliage, or venturing into the greenery for an unsullied water source; all in preparation for their trek in the morning. Flia and Hazel were both proud that the day ended up on a high note. Although the banishment of Woodstock and her son was a bit excessive in the duo's opinion, they were happy that Charles decided to allow them to travel with his herd. The girls flew off to their campsite in order to prepare their trek with the sauropod herd in the morning.

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Early evening...

On the hill that overlooked the now reddened Water Hole, a trio of carnivores was settling in for the end of the day. Flit flew made several trips into the foliage to search for more medicinal plants to help aid in his yellow Allosaur charge's recovery. Caius was busy applying the herbs on Broken Jaw, fretting over his injuries. Said _Allosaurus_ was contently lying in the shade of his tree on the hill, currently snacking on some flesh that he managed to pilfer from the defeated Torvosaur when no one was looking. In the _Allosaurus'_ book, this was the end of a good day. He successfully defeated a foe from claiming his territory AND had more food than he had ever gotten in one hunt.

At this moment, the trio was watching the remaining sauropods and the flight duo meander about the outskirts, getting their own fill of food.

"Man, talk about a rough day," Flit said as he returned with his newly found medical herbs. "We may have lost our precious water, but at least we beat up Shirley."

"Killed him is the better phrase," Caius commented has he picked up the herb and applied it to Broken Jaw's hide.

Broken Jaw nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Got my payback, he's dead, and we got our hill. Everything's normal."

That was when Caius halted his work. He may be a small carnivore, but he was wise beyond his years and knew how to survive even more than his yellow charge. He needed to make Broken Jaw see the bigger picture of their situation.

"No. Everything isn't. We have no water," the _Ornitholestes_ said.

Broken Jaw huffed dismissively. "Yeah, blame Woodstock for that."

"Broken Jaw, we are all to blame for what happened to the Water Hole." Caius countered. "Soon, the Water Hole will dry up, and then the rains will come. But even that will not clear up the untainted water."

The _Allosaurus_ narrowed his eyes, having an idea of where the conversation was going. "Let me guess, you're saying we should just leave?"

"You're very intuitive."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. We're not leaving this place," Broken Jaw stubbornly said, acting more like a bratty child than an adult.

However, Caius was unwilling to relent.

"Broken Jaw, we can't do that. Staying here will mean our deaths! There is little to no clean water and with that goes the food that relies on that water."

"He's got a point there," Flit interjected. "I say we follow the big boys and those ladies out of here. See where they go. Where they're going, there will be more food and water."

Broken Jaw stubbornly shook his head. "We can't leave! This is our home!"

"This hill no longer became our home the moment the Water Hole became tainted! We can just find another one, one that is better than this," Caius argued, hoping that his charge would realize direness of their situation.

The desert theropod forced his head away and laid down to rest.

"I'm going to sleep. This conversation is over."

Caius and Flit look at each other and then gaze back at the migratory group. They watch them with sad eyes before going to sleep as well. They knew it would be a fool's errand to try to convince their larger friend to leave the only home he has ever known, but they had to at least make an attempt. As the grey theropod and yellow pterosaur retired for the evening, the predator's mind was still ablaze with thought.

" _The Weak die. The Strong survives._ "

Those words were the staple of Broken Jaw's entire existence, courtesy of his now absent mother. He knows that the events that occurred to the Water Hole would have lasting effects, he would be a fool not to notice. However, the primary reason for his hesitation was his deeply ingrained fear of the unknown and the feeling that everything is out to get him. Broken Jaw has developed a carefully constructed routine that has served him well for all his time living at the Water Hole. Now that a monumental change happened in his home, he is faced with two options. Tough out the remaining days of the Scorch Season and patiently wait until the situation turned to his favor; something that Broken Jaw was intimately familiar with. Or risk venturing out in an attempt to find something better.

On one hand, there would be a strong chance that the Allosaur's efforts would be for naught and Broken Jaw's life would be cut down. But would staying in at a defiled Water Hole be really considered "Surviving"?

" _The Weak die. The Strong survives."_

The Allosaur has not died yet, so Broken Jaw was in no ways considered "Weak". His mental battle waged on while he debated the benefits of staying or going.

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Dawn of the next day…

Hazel knelt onto the parched earth. Small pointy rocks dug into her skin as she put her weight onto her joints. She resisted the urge to grimace at the pain as the earth pricked her legs like tiny ants.

True to what Charles proclaimed the day before, the herd of _Diplodocus_ began to leave the vicinity the moment the first rays of the sun touched the sky. She, along with Flia, was roused from their slumber by the vocalizations of the sauropods when they quickly left for a bite to eat or any pure water remnants they could find before the big trip. The _Pteranodon_ may have had a good night's sleep, but it was Hazel who had little rest. She was up until passed midnight tending to Woodstock's and Clearwater's injuries. The wounds they sustained from Shirley were not major; however, she along with the two _Supersaurus_ had to venture out to one of the puddles in the nearby greenery just to wash off the wounds.

Hazel also had to tend to Woodstock's amputated tail as well; their fight against Shirley had torn a few strands along the bandaged area. She did not want to risk opening the wraps and risking the wound bleeding again; that she would rather have the vets in Prehistoric Park handle. The good news was the ripped portions did not impede the wraps from unraveling due to how tight the whole thing was.

The human stifled a yawn. Five hours of sleep was definitely not enough. But this was nothing new for her. This was not the first time she lost sleep in the middle of a migration. The last time this happened was her first solo trip to the past, when she traveled with the Valley Herd to the Nesting Grounds. Crossing the open desert meant keeping a lookout for predators. At least she and Flia did not have to fly to watch out for them. The woman lost sleep during those days, and was affecting her senses to the point where she almost gave herself into a mirage; one where Prehistoric Park was in the middle of a desert 65 million years ago.

Now she was about to go through this situation again. Already dressed out of her capris and into her spare denim shorts and cleaned her dark purple tank of any dirt, eaten her fill of power bars she saved, and drank her first needed sips of water, she was already for this trek.

The only problem was their mission. She and Flia came back to the Jurassic period to rescue an _Allosaurus lucasi_ , mainly Broken Jaw. While the sauropods were preparing to leave the Water Hole for the dry earthen lands beyond, the flight duo managed to meet up with Caius and Flit, who scampered towards them before the herd would leave.

Of course, the first thing she asked after greeting them was the whereabouts of Broken Jaw. Her spirits immediately became dampened when she received the news that he went off to find an early breakfast AND that they had no plans of leaving the Water Hole after yesterday's tussle. She and the _Pteranodon_ next to her tried to convince them into coming along on the trip, even mentioning to beg to Broken Jaw to reconsider his decision. Sadly, they would not relent.

"You sure you guys don't want to come with us? Due to what happened yesterday, living here is going to be pretty tough," Hazel said while trying to hide any sense of longing. She also did her best to school her features to show support for their decision.

The _Ornitholestes_ shook his head and gave her a sad smile. "We would appreciate coming with you, but we must stay with Broken Jaw. Wherever he goes, we go. We cannot leave him."

Flit flapped his wings from his place on the ground next to his friend, sending small clouds of dust towards the girls. "Yeah, he's one of us."

The Asian nodded in resignation. Trying to talk them into leaving this place would definitely not work, especially since the decision lies with a stubborn _Allosaurus_ who would not see to reason. She would try to hunt him down and talk some sense into him, but doing so could mean straying from the herd or getting herself caught in the jaws of another large predator during an ambush.

"Alright then. You take care of yourselves now," she told them, clearly showing her disappointment in the predicament. Her response also earned her a quick embrace from Flia, who placed her wing on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. She too felt saddened that their mission was now extended.

The _Rhamphorhynchus_ nodded briskly. "We will."

"And good luck," Flia added, sympathy filling her eyes.

With nothing left to say, the duo turned towards the horizon. The Diplodocus and the Supersaurus duo started to march off to the lands beyond. Their stomps on the ground caused the earth to tremble. Their bellows and groans echoed in the air like a prehistoric symphony.

Hazel hopped onto her friend's legs and gripped onto the saddle that she secured onto her when they awoke. The two carnivores took a few steps back when the giant flyer leaped forward; her wings propelled her into the skies as they flew off to join their titanic comrades.

Caius and Flit could only watch with sad eyes when they watched the sauropods leave. With little food and water, their chances of surviving here had been severely reduced. They longed to run off and join them on their journey to better lands, but that would mean leaving the only other individual they considered as part of their family behind. Neither of them were that cruel.

If they did go with them, they would not have to worry about being attacked by larger predators. The sauropods were basically a moving fortress. Flit could just perch himself on one of their backs and even eat the insects that hover around them constantly. Caius could hide himself within their ranks or beneath one of them. He was too small to be considered a threat. The only thing the lithe carnivore would have to worry about would be getting stomped by them by accident.

But as they were dreaming about leaving this forsaken place, their trance was broken by the sudden appearance of two beast-like feet that stood between them. The appearance of the tree-toed feet caused them to gasp and scatter in fear of another predator that was about to eat them. Before they could get far enough away, they managed to get a good look at their surprise visitor.

Their eyes could be lying due to the desert heat. But the morning was not scorching hot. The dust kicked up in the air would have obscured their vision. But it did not.

Standing right there, looking out into the horizon, was Broken Jaw.

"BJ? What're you doin'?" Flit squawked, scampering near him until he was a mere foot from his giant feet.

The _Allosaurus_ glanced down at the little pterosaur before returning his gaze to the departing longnecks, which now appeared like receding masses that were a quarter of their actual size. "I'm surviving. Simple as that."

Caius, who took a few steps forward at the now stoic carnivore, inquired with his head cocked. "Meaning?"

The duo watched as he walked passed them. Surprisingly enough, he was making his way to the edge of the Water Hole. He turned around when he was a mere ten feet from them, all the while showing off a toothy, yet mangled, grin.

"You guys comin' or what?"

Flit and Caius gawked at what they witnessed. Neither of them could get a perfect response out; both of which stammered like bumbling fools.

"What? What are we going to do?" the ocean-dwelling pterosaur quickly asked in one breath, and was the first to break the dumbfounded tirade between the two.

Broken Jaw silently giggled at their astounded reactions. "We're moving out. And the only way to survive would be to follow those huge lugs."

With that said, he about faced and walked on, leaving the refuge he once called home. His guardians exchanged glances from the retreating carnivore. Just last night, they were denied the chance to leave and find better living. Now, that same individual was walking away, adhering to the pleading they gave him the night before on surviving. Both of them wondered whether the old Broken Jaw fell on his back and died. Or did this one merely turn a new leaf and saw the reality of the situation?

Neither of them wanted to question this transformation any further. With new resolve, the smaller carnivores took off to join their comrade to the lands beyond, all while following a giant herd of sauropods and two beings from another time in their journey to survive.


	11. Getting Acquainted

While Hazel and Flia were dealing with their own problems in the Jurassic period, things back at the park had gotten a bit easier. With the new _Allosaurus_ enclosure finished, the sanctuary had taken up a calmer atmosphere. Hazel's goal of rescuing the _Allosaurus_ _lucasi_ subspecies had caused a wall to be erected in the Jurassic carnivore enclosure. Both sides of the enclosure were large enough to accommodate a large Jurassic predator; however, the reason behind the barrier was to keep the species separate. The meeting of two animals of different species was unpredictable in the eyes of the scientific community, thus the Park did not want to risk both species to have a conflict. But, with the barrier up and the species close to each other, everyone hoped they would try to get along.

But this will not come to pass until one of the inhabitants gets back into her prime condition. Alyssa lay sleeping at the leftmost portion of the infirmary with a number of medical contraptions attached to her via thin wires or white tubing that were taped onto her grey hide. Her eyes were shut and her chest slowly rose and fell in a prolonged rhythm. For a large carnivore that could go toe to toe against creatures larger than her, she looked peaceful.

Activity in the Prehistoric Park infirmary did not seem to let up within the past few days. Suzanne and her vets busily monitored the large carnivore that lay prone on one side of the complex. Due to the sickly condition she was when she was rescued, Alyssa had to be placed under an induced coma in order for the vets to properly work on healing her. So far, things seemed to have improved as her vital signs were stable.

"How is she doing?" Sarah, Suzanne's assistant, asked the green medical-clad worker next to her. While she had been around a lot of the employees in the park, she had never met this one before. Her mind told her that he must be one of the new recruits that started working here at least a month ago.

The employee, who was a young man in his thirties with dark brown hair under his medical cap, took a glance at her before looking back at the sleeping predator. "Her heartbeat and breathing are stable. Blood pressure is normal. Temperature has gone down."

"And?"

"Well, as you already know, the _Allosaurus_ here, Alyssa, has been infected by a form of Leptospirosis, which is a type of bacterial infection that is mostly spread by rodents, but can also be spread by animal urine. She most likely got it when she drank some of that water in that pond she was close to. She's still on the penicillin treatment, but we're estimating she'll be up and about within the next week or so."

The assistant veterinarian gave him a curt nod in satisfaction. "Good. I'll report this to Dr. McNabb. You've already administered today's dose of barbiturate?"

"Yup," he told her then wrote a few things on his pad of papers on a clipboard.

"Okay. I'm going to head out to check on one of the _Stygimolochs_ in the Valley sector. Apparently one of them got stuck in a tree again during a sparring match. Let me know if there are any changes to her status."

Just as soon as she turned to leave the vicinity, a groan sounded from nearby. Making a quick turn, the veterinarian assistant gasped when she looked upon the source of the disturbance. The employee next to her tensed up and froze, his breathing now shallow due to nervousness.

They watched as the Jurassic titan shifted in her position. Once she was lying on her side, and now she was rolling onto her stomach; some of the wires were pulled off due to her sudden movement. Another groan escaped her throat, but this time, it was louder, which alerted the other employees in the area. Everyone in the building could not help but watch as the predator slowly stood up. Her eyelids that were adorned by the crests above them slowly opened, revealing the distinct, yellow eyes of a dangerous predator.

Blinking a couple of times, her reaction to her current situation was at first out of curiosity. But then, her demeanor turned into one of horror when she realized where she was...and what happened to her.

"Wha-what!? Where am I? What's going on!? What am I doing here!? What is this place!?" Alyssa shrieked in one breath while trying to take in the setting of the infirmary, as well as the strange white protrusions that were taped onto her hide. "What are these things!?"

Amidst her frantic reactions, the _Allosaurus_ started to move around in a nervous fashion. No, nervous was an understatement. Terrified and jittery would be the best terms to describe her. The machinery she was hooked up to was being dragged with her. All the monitors and stands she was hooked up to toppled over and collided with each other; most of which became damaged beyond repair. Electricity sparked from the broken pieces of equipment, and some of them that were a little more fragile had broken glass erupt from them.

The chaos she was creating no doubt caused even more pandemonium in the complex. The employees that were there started to scream and run out. Some of those who were braver had the sense to grab a stun gun each in the side of the room to try and stun the hectic carnivore. Unfortunately, while they were giving orders to each other to take aim at Alyssa, her frantic movements caused the equipment that was dragging with her to swing towards them, causing the humans to disperse.

While that was happening, Sarah and the man she was speaking to managed to take cover behind some large cushions in another corner of the room. Appalled by the new crisis they were in, she shot daggers at the man who told her the predator was sedated.

"This can't be happening! I thought you said you administered the barbiturate earlier!"

The man looked at her with a heightened sense of fear, which was amplified due to the angry vet that was staring at him. "I did! I just administered the drug a few minutes before you arrived!"

"Are you sure? Because our new patient is tearing the whole infirmary apart!"

"Yes I did! I used one of those new vials that came in today! The ones with the red stickers on the sides!"

Sarah could not help but slap him hard on the arm, causing him to wince in pain. "OW!"

"Idiot! That was the new shipment of amphetamine! You just woke her up from her coma!"

"Well I thought that was a new shipment of barbiturate! How was I supposed to know which delivery was which!? No one told me there were TWO deliveries coming today!"

Sarah huffed in exasperation. With the new piece of information in mind, the vet pulled out the radio she had hanging on her belt. Turning to the right channel and adjusting the volume, she clicked the button on the side before yelling in her loudest tone.

"Sarah to Suzanne! The patient's awake and she's making an utter mess here!"

A sound of static followed by silence came, which was then broken by the shocked holler of the head veterinarian of Prehistoric Park. _"What!? How is she awake!?"_

"Because SOMEONE here accidentally gave her some amphetamine, which prematurely ended the induced coma she was under," she said in a slight growl through her teeth.

 _"Ugh...I'm on my way! Do what you can to keep her from causing even more damage. Sedate her if you must. Just DON'T LET HER LEAVE THE INFIRMARY!"_

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At the same time...

Aladar cautiously bypassed a jeep that had four employees in its seats. Even though he and his herd had been in this time period for several weeks, he still knew nothing about the 21st century. In fact, there were times when he would think that human vehicles were alive, and then had to remind himself of Hazel's explanations of them being inanimate.

The Iguanodon alpha was going around Prehistoric Park on his usual daily patrol. Usually, when he was done with checking up on his herd for any problem solving or checking up on individual members, he would go around the Park to admire the scenery, or even spend time with his friends and family if he could find them. Starting today, he decided to make sure to help any human or Resident that needed assistance, since they all lived in the same valley.

Walking alongside him was his mate Neera, who wanted to spend time with him that afternoon after giving a brief lesson to a group of younglings regarding migrations past earlier that day. When she first became alpha, she never expected the role to be difficult, where there would be so many stresses that would pressure her such as resolving conflicts or dealing with the threat of predators. Sure, for the latter, they lived in a valley where most of the carnivores would not harm them and were mostly friendly, except for a certain _Carnotaurus_ who had a grudge against them. But the fear of being eaten or slaughtered by a surprise attack was something that would not disappear in a short time.

No, the female Iguanodon had more responsibilities to take in. Now she represented her herd as one of its bravest individuals. But sometimes, there were times when she needed some time off. And what better way to do that than to spend time with her family, especially her mate.

Even right now, as they walked through Prehistoric Park, the conversation on her mate's most recent discovery was enough to brighten anyone's day.

"No way! Did that really happen?" Neera gawked at him.

"Yeah. It sure did. They actually like each other!" Aladar replied with a confident laugh.

"And here I thought those two would never get together," his mate shook her head in slight disbelief. "I visited Ellie a few days ago and she kept talking about how clumsy Theo was in his talking. I don't know what he said, but it sounded offensive to her. That girl flipped him on his back for nearly the whole day. How did they make up?"

The blue-green Iguanodon reacted with a lift of his hoof for a moment as an equivalent to a human half-raising their arms. "Eema. She somehow sorted things out. Turned out to be a misunderstanding. Then she told me this morning when she was out looking for something sweet to eat that those two actually huddled next to each other when they slept!"

Neera raised a brow in speculation. "Aladar, just because they cuddled doesn't mean they like each other. Maybe they accidentally did so in their sleep."

"Oh no, they like each other. One time, I saw them actually having a full conversation as they were eating. And they nuzzled!"

The female alpha sighed in defeat. So much for trying to disprove Aladar's observation. And here she thought those two would never tie the knot given that Ellie made it apparent that she did not want anything to do with that over-flirtatious male several weeks ago. "Okay, so they do like each other."

"Considering the pace they're going at, it won't be long before we hear they'll be having hatchlings," the male alpha mused.

"Now don't get your hopes up. We still need to wait and see what happens."

Aladar then pouted at the mention of potential younglings between the two ceratopsians. "Speaking of hatchlings, I haven't seen our kids at all today. Where'd they go?"

Neera playfully nudged him at his shoulder, amused by the fact that he had not noticed the whereabouts of his own offspring. "Our boys and their friends are with Bruno and his Tribe at the moment. Apparently, they're interested in the Chief's stories of his past fights that they couldn't get enough of it. Meanwhile, our daughters and their friend Mikiya are with Martha and Yin's Flock. I could have sworn I saw them playing with that red ball thing earlier today."

Satisfied of knowing the whereabouts of his own blood, the alpha could not help but smile. "Well, it's good to know everyone here is getting along."

However, at that statement, his love shot him a serious glare. She angled her head towards him, slightly blocking his way and causing him to stop. "Everyone?"

Aladar gave her a nervous chuckle. Of course, he saw this coming. They were living in a valley that had its own predator Residents. And a couple of them were individuals that did not take kindly to their presences. "Eh...I suppose almost everyone...to an extent."

He could not blame her. He was particularly uncomfortable with a certain bad-mouthed _Troodon_ , a red _Carnotaurus_ that hated their guts for what happened last year, and his rival Nero who coveted his position for a long time. Though Aladar did not bear anything personal against the smaller carnivore named Rascal, he did not have his VERY first intimate encounter with him until some time ago. He was just passing aimlessly when he accidentally arrived at a time when the _Troodon_ was awake. Hazel did warn him about his bad attitude at one point, however, he had completely forgotten about it. What he got that day were a few curses and insults that resulted in his normally confident outlook to be stained. Being the mature alpha he was, he walked away in the opposite direction, all the while noting to never pass by him again.

Then there was Diablo. Oh, how those memories of his last bouts with that predator burned his mind. He remembered his encounter with him in that cave, the battle they had in the canyon that led to his transport to the 21st century, and the recent breakout in Prehistoric Park. Aladar could not blame him; he was angry at everyone for what happened to his mate and how his whole life practically changed before his very eyes. Sure, he knew very well to stay away from that demon dinosaur, but he could not help but feel sorry for him.

Similar to the other two, Nero had his own bone to pick with him, specifically on having his position as leader of the herd. He wanted that title so badly that he would do anything to get it. This ranged from making Hazel an outcast for keeping the knowledge of the Fireball from everyone, to nearly killing him for possession of that title, and even agreeing with Diablo to release him on a deal that even the alpha knew was bogus. Yes, the green Iguanodon had his faults, but he learned his lesson...or at least was in the process of doing so. He was still under the punishment he and Hazel gave him weeks ago where he had to assist the humans in their daily chores rather than staying with Espantos for an entire year. The latter would drive him insane so he chose the lesser of the two "evils". Aladar did observe him a couple of times and was happy to see some improvement in his behavior, but he still acted hostile to those around him if he was pushed too hard.

"Do you think there will be a time when everyone here will be accepted? You know, no more fighting or grudges?" Neera asked.

"Just give them time Neera," he said in a reassuring tone of voice. He resumed his walking gait, but still could not avoid the suspicions of his mate, who followed along with him.

The magenta ornithopod squinted at him, still not convinced that would happen. "And Diablo?"

"Um...he just needs more time is all," he replied, though he did his best to hide his feeling of uncertainty. The idea of the _Carnotaurus_ changing his ways was like thinking he would do so when either of them could fly. Even he found it kind of absurd. However, remembering what Hazel said before and observing Nero in his chore assistance, this valley was a place of second chances. And this included carnivores. Maybe, just maybe, with enough time, Diablo's hatred would just melt away.

Neera's softened reaction at his words lifted a weight off of the alpha's shoulders. "Okay then. Why are we going this way?"

"Well, I wanted to check up on Alyssa, see if she's okay," Aladar said, happy to hear that she decided to change the subject."

"You mean that carnivore Flia and Hazel rescued not too long ago?"

He nodded. "The same one. I was told she's been out for a while and wanted to see how she was doing. She'll probably still be asleep. Suzanne and her team had to keep her that way so she could recover."

"And where is she at?"

"The same place I was in when I was injured," Aladar said with a shrug.

It was at that statement that the alpha was met with Neera's worried gaze. Her features had quickly changed from relieved to practically apprehensive. But not exactly for the safety of the Residents. "You mean that place!? Wouldn't anyone there be in danger? There are no barriers to keep a big predator under control!"

"Relax Neera. I've already met Alyssa," he said, reminding her of when he told her of his whereabouts that one day regarding the _Allosaurus'_ rescue...along with the new wounds he obtained on his body. His injuries certainly did heal, but they were still noticeable with the darkened scratches that were slowly turning lighter. "She's more of the curious type and wouldn't attack anything unless they attack her first...or if she views them as food."

"Emphasis on that last part..." she deadpanned.

"The humans there will be fine. There's nothing to worry about."

 ***CRAAAAAAASH***

 ***BOOOOOOOOOM***

Both Iguanodons stood in shock as they heard the commotion coming from a large building not too far from them. Looking around, they found that their conversing had led them several yards away from the very building Aladar was in when he had his grievous injuries from the Fireball. From where they were, they could see humans running out in fear and a few coming back, their hands grasping the familiar forms of the stun guns. Around them, at least a couple of humans were running passed to get to the large complex, all of which were giving orders to themselves on what was occurring inside.

"Make sure the voltage is at neutral!" one human hollered.

"Geez! That girl is tearing the place apart! Stay clear of her feet!" another seconded.

"Forget about the feet! She's swinging the equipment around like a tetherball!"

As soon as the humans were out of their reach, the ornithopods looked at each other. While Neera gave her mate an unpleasant reaction on the situation, Aladar could not help but give her a sheepish laugh.

"Nothing to worry about?" she frowned at him.

"Heh heh...well at least we know she's awake?"

The two alphas said nothing else as they bolted towards the Infirmary, intent on stopping the chaos inside.

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Alyssa could not believe what she was experiencing. This cave she was in was among the strangest places she had ever been in. The ground was smooth like sleek sand, except sand was not that smooth at all. Was this ground some kind of smooth rock? The "sky" above her was grey and had raised trunks that looked like they were attached in some way. They too looked smooth like the ground except they also had protrusions that ended in a flattened teardrop. The objects that were in the cave, along with the objects that were once stuck to her and were now being flung around as she moved, were among the oddest things she had seen.

The only things she could recognize were the creatures that were around her. While they were obviously scared and were trying to avoid getting hit by the things that were stuck on her, she recognized them as humans. The two-legged creature known as Hazel was the one that looked similar to them, hence why she dubbed them as that species.

But her curiosity was not the one thing that was dominating her perspective. It was the confusion on where she was at and why there were objects attached to her that made her act so frantic.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on!?" she demanded again, whipping her body around to look at the humans who had those weird stick things pointed at her. When she turned, two more of those contraptions that were taped on her whirled around and were thrown in their direction. The objects, which a human would call a computer monitor, were flung towards them. The humans screamed, jumping out of the way in time before the machines snapped off their cords. They landed on the ground with an ear-grinding crash; the glass on the screen splattered everywhere before tumbling away. The wall on the very back stopped their movements, but the machines were already damaged beyond repair due to the wires and the other components spilling out.

One of the employees, which turned out to be the same person who accidentally administered the drug that awoke her, stepped in front of her with his hands up. "Whoa whoa! Easy miss, you should really calm down! You don't want to overwork yourself!"

"Then why do you have these white vines stuck to my body!? Why are you trying to stop me!? What is this weird cave!?" she roared, causing the man to recoil back by several steps. "And where am I!?"

"ALYSSA!"

Whirling around to the source of that call, the _Allosaurus_ was surprised to see a familiar blue-green quadrupedal herbivore rushing towards her. Her features softened when she recognized the newcomer stop just a few feet from her. In addition, her breathing as well as the pulse from her chest seemed to ease up a little bit.

"A-Aladar?" she cocked her head in uncertainty, hoping that he was not some hallucination.

"Hey Alyssa," he smiled reassuringly at her. He then looked around at the other humans, his facial expressions became serious for a moment when he spoke. "It's okay everyone, I've got this."

The relief the humans in the complex presented was tremendous. The stun guns that a number of them held were lowered or slung over their shoulders. Orders from some of the employees were given out to either have them return to their duties on the other side of the park or to help in clearing up the mess in the infirmary. Alyssa's frantic rampage had caused the destruction of numerous amounts of medical and recently purchased park equipment that were going to storage, most of which were very expensive and would create a sizeable dent in their budget. The employees that called for the orders of new computer monitors, pumps, and others would have to redo their tasks due to the destruction that happened. Even some parts of the walls showed a bit of damage when the supplies were flinging everywhere, so the construction crew would have to fix up the large dents later in the day.

But seeing the damage that Alyssa had done did not upset Aladar. Rather, he was more concerned on how she was feeling at the moment.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions running through your mind," he softened his attitude towards her.

"Y-yes I do. What's going on here? Where am I? Why does my head feel like it's been stomped on?" she groaned as she shook her head. As she did, she felt her skull pounding within itself and her chest erupted in a flurry of beats once more. Her limbs also began to give way for some odd reason. Whatever was causing her to feel so weak had apparently made her collapse back onto her stomach with a thud; the very edge of her snout touched the cement as she tried to keep herself up.

"Alyssa! Are you okay?" Aladar lowered his head and eyed her with concern.

"I...I don't know. I don't feel exactly myself. My limbs would not cooperate with me. My head hurts a little and my chest feels like it's about to burst," the grey carnivore tried to explain her symptoms. "What kind of place is this to make me feel this way?"

"You're in our infirmary, at least the one reserved for larger creatures such as yourself. As for what you are feeling right now, they are just temporary side effects of the drug that was accidentally administered to you."

Hearing that new voice, the two dinosaurs snapped their heads back towards the outside. Coming towards them was the figure of an adult human female wearing light brown cotton shorts, the trademark dark green Prehistoric Park T-shirt, grey athletic sneakers, and had her black hair tied back into a messy bun.

"Oh...hello. You are...?" Alyssa spoke up, trying to discern the identity of this new human.

"Suzanne McNabb, but you can call me Suzanne. I'm the head veterinarian in Prehistoric Park," she introduced. Out of force of habit, she dragged a piece of one of her locks over to behind one of her ears. The communicator she wore brandished out in the light.

The _Allosaurus_ squinted and cocked her head to the side in confusion at the mention of the new vocabulary. "Veterinarian? Prehistoric Park? What are those?"

"I'm a type of healer," the woman explained and placed a hand on her chest for a moment before relaxing. "When Hazel and Flia, along with Aladar here and the rest of his friends, rescued you from that mud trap, you were very sick and close to dying. They brought you back here to Prehistoric Park, where we worked to heal you."

"I do remember being stuck near that pond and being very sick..." Alyssa recalled those obvious details of being trapped in that hellhole for a few days. Those memories made her feel sick again and she had to stifle a gag just to remain in control of herself in front of these strangers.

"Yes. You were very malnourished. The stagnant pond water had properties that did not agree with your system. One of which made you VERY sick after you drank some of the water. Combine that with the carrion you were eating along with factors like the smell of the corpses, being unable to move, and being under intense heat, you would probably have been dead by the next morning had you not been found in time."

Alyssa did her best to take in all that Suzanne explained to her. While she did not really understand what the veterinarian meant by what kind of things in water would make her sick, she did understand that water that had carcasses and bad smells would definitely not be safe to drink, as she had learned from this previous venture. She also understood that being stuck near that area and being baked under the sun was also bad.

"I see..." she gave her a curt nod once she understood everything. "Thank you all for helping me."

"It was our pleasure," Aladar gave her a gratuitous smirk. The human woman next to him gave her a nod in acknowledgement.

Alyssa then took a quick look around the building, noting the damage she made when she suddenly woke up from her slumber. The other humans were gathering all of the broken objects and placing them in piles next to the walls, or if they were slightly damaged, were being piled up outside for future repairs. The carnivore frowned at her accidental handiwork and then looked at her audience nervously.

"Um...sorry about the mess I caused."

"It's okay," Suzanne was quick to forgive her. "You were scared. We understand that."

"Where are Flia and Hazel? I would like to thank them too for not giving up on me," she inquired, looking around again for any sign of the younger human and the large flyer, but found none of them in sight. Her reply came in the form of another stranger coming towards her, but this one sounded feminine and had a hint of compassion in her tone.

"They're off on another rescue mission, so they won't be back for a while."

Coming towards the small group was another Iguanodon. Had any of them bothered to inspect one side of the doorway in the complex, they would have seen her approach from one side of the entrance.

Unlike the male alpha that stood before the _Allosaurus_ , this one had a slimmer build and had a narrower snout. She also had a hide that had hints of purple and pink along her body as well as a beige underbelly. Her eyes were also a striking yellow unlike Aladar's, who were green. When she witnessed this new individual nudge the male on his cheek affectionately and him returning the gesture, she determined the two of them to be mates. In addition, the human known as Suzanne stroked her gently on one of her forearms, which she greatly appreciated by giving the human a smile.

"Oh, hello there," Alyssa greeted politely.

"Whoops, where are my manners?" Aladar realized the new extent of the situation. His mate had hidden herself from view out of fear that the new predator was dangerous. Seeing her come to his side reassured him that she was unafraid of the newcomer. "Alyssa, this is my mate, Neera."

"Aladar's told me quite a bit about you. Getting stuck in the mud is not a fun experience," the female alpha commented.

"It certainly isn't. I'm just glad I'm not there anymore and here...wherever here is," Alyssa said, noting the new surroundings she was in.

"Prehistoric Park. Our home. The whole time we've been here, it's the safest place in the world," the blue-green Iguanodon simply answered.

"I've never heard of this place. Is it anywhere near the Salt Plains?" Alyssa asked, completely unsure about this place.

"I'm afraid it's a bit...far off from where you're from," Suzanne responded with an apologetic look. "You see, you're 145 million years in the future."

The _Allosaurus'_ jaw fell open. Her eyes widened like fish-eyes at the mention of how far off she was. "What!? How is this possible?"

The veterinarian folded her arms then leaned her body to the side a bit. "Time travel. We have something here that allows anyone here to go to any point in time. That was how Hazel and Flia arrived in your point in time, and how you were brought here."

Time. That was something that was completely alien to Alyssa. She had heard from her last encounter with Hazel and her friends that they were from another point in time. The herbivores and Flia that were with her were from several million years in the future from where she was from. Hearing that she was now in a time period that was further in the future was mind-boggling. First these creatures had objects that could help with healing, then there were these strange structures like the one she was in, and now there were beings from different time periods speaking before her? In addition, the sickness that was attacking her health was somewhat receded?

This place was so new to her yet astonishing.

"This is...quite a lot to take in," Alyssa said slowly as she tried to comprehend that sort of information.

Neera giggled nearby, sending the _Allosaurus_ into a heightened state of confusion. Did she say something funny? Why was she laughing?

"Don't worry. You're not the only one. Many of us here are still getting used to how things are in this time. Everyone here is taken care of, there's lots of water, and you can never go hungry."

"And there are a lot of fun things to do here! We can play tag, play hide and seek, watch Youtube, play board games, read fanfictions, eat cake, play dodgeball, and even play golf!"

The sudden outburst coming from Neera's left caused everyone to jump in surprise. Nonchalantly walking up to the new predator was what appeared to be a ten foot tall avian adorned with yellow and black feathers. The protrusion at the front of its face, which turned out to be its beak, was thick and coarse like an ornate log. The legs of this creature were long yet powerful, perfect for running down prey. But if there was one thing that stood out from this new being were its eyes. The build was clearly that of a fast-moving predator, but the yellow-tinted eyes gave off the aura of an innocent child.

Neera yelped in surprise and huddled next to her mate, who just shook his head in exasperation. Suzanne, on the other hand, just shook her head in slight irritation.

"Hey Espantos, didn't see you coming," Aladar politely greeted.

"A-Ladder! Narnia! Good to see you too. Oh, and hello Suzy-Anne. What's going on here?" the Terror Bird returned the greeting while incorrectly saying his two neighbors' and the head vet's names again for the hundredth time.

The male alpha chuckled while trying to shake off the frustration of his name being botched again. "We're um...giving Alyssa here the rundown on Prehistoric Park. She's new here."

When the Miocene predator looked over at the sick _Allosaurus_ , his lower beak fell agape. The edges of his maw creased into a grin, at least in bird anatomy. The hyper-carnivore let out squeals of delight as he looked upon the new arrival with piqued interest.

"I know who you are! You're that Allo-thing Hazelnut and her bird-thing almost friend rescued!" he said all in one breath after gasping.

Alyssa cocked an eye ridge at the reaction she had just witnessed. Just what was this creature? If this guy was supposed to be a predator, then how come he's acting like a hatchling? Shouldn't he be afraid of her since she's much bigger than him? Why is he acting so happy? And those names...did he mean Hazel and Flia?

"Uh...yes?" she hesitantly answered, careful to try not to make him too excited. "And you are?"

"My name is Espantos! I'm a _Phorusrhacos_ , or commonly known as a Terror Bird, from the Miocene period in South America. I was rescued by my first friend Nigel Marven when-" Espantos started to recant his origins as well as how he got to Prehistoric Park. Unfortunately, his storytelling was interrupted when a hoof with sea-colored scales closed his beak shut.

When everyone looked over at who did that, they were surprised to see a slightly embarrassed Aladar trying to hold back a smile. "That's Espantos. He's a Resident here. Espantos, this is Alyssa, she's an _Allosaurus_."

He then released him as soon as he saw he was going to be quiet, which thankfully, he did. "I'm guessing you were passing by to perform your duty as the messenger courier?"

"That's right!" Espantos gleefully replied. "I was on my way to Big Croc-Hunter Irwy's pond when I saw you guys gathered here. I wanted to check things out and here I am! So, where is Ms. Lissa going to stay?"

Alyssa narrowed her eyes at the mention of the new name. Considering the antics of this giant bird, she assumed that the name Ms. Lissa was referring to herself. "Pardon?"

Suzanne slapped her forehead, forgetting about that one detail regarding new arrivals and those living here. "Oh, right. The Residents have their own enclosures they stay in, at least most of them. Yours is in one part of the valley. Don't worry about food because we'll provide them for you."

"Hm...I like this place already," the Jurassic titan said with a toothy grin of her own.

Just then, a low growl resonated from within Alyssa's gut. Those from the Park looked on in amusement and stifled their laughs. Well, all except Neera. She was the only one to notice the _Allosaurus'_ change in demeanor. The ornithopod tensed up when she saw the predator stare at her target with interest. Her arms lay flat on the cement, ready to propel herself forward. Her prey had no idea on why she was looking at him hungrily, or why her maw was now dripping with globs of liquid.

Aladar, noticing on what she was intending to do, immediately put himself between her and the oblivious Terror Bird. "Whoa whoa, easy Alyssa. He's not for eating."

The lion of the Jurassic gasped and snapped her jaw shut. Her predatory instinct now interrupted, she returned to her seated position, trying to ignore the hunger pangs in her stomach. Her face now had a look of dejection from the meal that she was denied from.

"Uh, why was Ms. Lissa looking at me like that? Did she want to play tag with me? A-Ladder, that was rude!" Espantos scolded the alpha, even though he had no idea on how wrong he was.

The male _Iguanodon_ rolled his eyes. Sometimes he found that bird's simple-minded intelligence to be annoying. He turned around to correct the Miocene hunter when his attempt was interrupted by his mate speaking up first. The female alpha was already leaning towards Espantos' head, her expression was cool and collected even though everyone around her could sense that she too was a bit annoyed.

"Thanks for helping us with getting Alyssa here acquainted," she told him with a smug look. "But don't you have something you should be doing right now?"

The Terror Bird gasped then gave her an overexcited nod. "Oh right! Don't want to be late with the daily news!"

With that said, the predator darted off to the outside, disappearing around a corner. His wake on the dirt had left a cloud of dust lingering. Those that he left behind looked over at the female alpha looking impressed. All except for Alyssa, who was still confused as to what was going on. Those that did know were aware that Neera did so just to save his life in case Alyssa got TOO interested.

"Um, sorry...I guess I got caught up with being in a new place that I completely forgot I was hungry," the _Allosaurus_ apologized, breaking the silence.

Her response came in the form of Suzanne waving her hand dismissively at her. Though she was glad that she was not the predator's target of hunger, she had experience with dealing with large hungry carnivores.

"Don't worry, we can help with that," she said before bringing the small black walkie talkie she had clipped on her belt near her face. With a quick movement, she turned the knob at the top to the left, which brought the radio to life via static through the speaker. All of which intrigued the predacious newcomer, and even still boggled the minds of the herbivores that were with her.

"Suzanne to Bob," she said through the speaker.

A moment of silence passed before a different voice came from the contraption. From the sounds of it, the individual was male and had a gruff tone to him. _"This is Bob, go ahead."_

"Bob, do you think you can bring some large slabs of meat to the infirmary? Our guest needs some nourishment."

The mention of the word meat caused the predator to lick her teeth. Her stomach rumbled quietly as she thought about sinking her jaws into something warm and juicy. Thankfully, she was not thinking about doing so with Aladar or Neera, for one of them helped in rescuing her from her death and the other was his mate. Eating them now would present herself as a backstabber and reveal her more dangerous side to the individuals that saved her life.

 _"Sure thing Suzy. On my way. I'm guessing all that crashing and screaming meant our new arrival's awake?"_ the man chuckled on the other line.

"Oh yes, and she's very hungry."

 _"Alright then. I'll be there in a few minutes."_

With that said, she turned off the radio and excused herself from the small group. Leaving the _Iguanodons_ to further acquaint the predator to her surroundings, as well as tell them more about themselves, Suzanne went to doing the next thing on her list while she was at the infirmary. In this case, it was a certain blonde woman who was cowering behind a pile of blue mats off in the corner.

The head veterinarian stopped before the pile of mats before gesturing her to come towards her with a curling index finger. The assistant, though nervous about the conscious _Allosaurus_ and the possible wrath of her boss, presented herself in an obedient fashion. The young lady gulped and looked into Suzanne's eyes, which held some anger at bay.

"Are you alright?" she asked first in a kind way. Her response came in the form of a quick nod.

"Sarah, where is the individual who prematurely administered the amphetamine?" her tone went a tad deeper to show her slight irritation.

"I...I think I saw him run towards the Vet's Surgery while you were talking to the _Allosaurus_ ," Sarah said as he pointed to the outside with a thumb.

The dark-haired woman gave her an appreciative smile and then a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. The reaction that the assistant gave her was a relieved one.

"Thank you. Please help everyone tidy things up here. I'm going to have a word with him."

Suzanne promptly left the building, leaving her assistant to help tidy things up, as well as the dinosaurs within to carry on with their conversation. Her mind boiled with the thought of telling off the person who interrupted Alyssa's recovery. If there was one thing that was a must in this sanctuary, it was that every employee needs to remain on task when doing their work. Incompetence in the medical field in this place was something she had low tolerance for. A loss from a mistake in medicine here was a big no in her book.

The woman stormed for the Vet's Surgery, intent on hunting down her victim.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few days later...

Nigel rubbed his temples with his two index fingers. His felt his head throb as another headache set in.

The afternoon sun and the 70 degree weather may be a welcoming sight for most in the valley. But for Nigel, he did not have time to frolic in the day. Normally the explorer would have time to himself or to admire the sanctuary throughout the day, however, with the new _Allosaurus_ arrival and the files on his desk containing possible new applicants to his ever-growing staff, Nigel was finding little time to have a break. In fact, he barely took any breaks for a while, except when he needed to eat or to answer to his other bodily needs.

All over his desk were the files containing promising applicants to the sanctuary. Applying to Prehistoric Park was not as simple as going on any job website and searching it by name. No, Prehistoric Park had a different way of looking for applicants. Nigel would search the web for anyone looking for jobs related to zoology or any field that Prehistoric Park needs. They would have to be looking to get out of their current jobs or be currently unemployed. In addition, new applicants had to meet the requisites for a membership in his team, such as proper education, needed skills, experience in their fields, and the amount of knowledge they had.

Nigel would store their information in separate files and go over each and every one of them to see if they would be employee material. The problem was, hiring new recruits was a tedious job. The other jobs they were looking into may hire them first, so he had to look over them quickly. Once he found a promising candidate, he would call them on the phone, mention that he got their information from the same organization they were signing up for, introduce himself, explain his job as a zoologist and a paleontologist, and finally explain what he was looking for. Sure, he was met with refusals in the past because his candidates would think his offer was a fake, but his use of words over the years had won over more recruits to the growing staff.

Of course, this was all without telling them what Prehistoric Park really was. He would always tell them the sanctuary was to pay homage to creatures of the past while caring for numerous Residents. Once he offered the positions and they accept, that is when they along with the other applicants he chose would travel to Prehistoric Park. Seeing the Residents as well as letting them know this place is a world secret usually won them over.

This time, however, Nigel was looking over the files for a reason. He had already chosen new recruits last month and was taking a break from new hires, at least for a while. Now he was looking for three certain individuals who would meet much more than the expectations of a typical employee in the park.

He may have chosen Hazel to succeed him when he is unable to lead the park in the future, but that meant that she would have the whole park as her responsibility. There may be at least a hundred employees within Prehistoric Park, but Hazel cannot do this alone. Bob, Suzanne, and Marcus were the heads of their respective departments and may have assistants of their own, but they are all a part of Nigel's own elite crew. They were his colleague circle. Hazel had none, and the assistants that help his other colleagues in Prehistoric Park would probably not have the same mindset as someone her age.

No, Hazel needed her own team; a small group of people that had the capabilities to lead the separate divisions in the staff and to serve as her advisors.

There was another reason Nigel was doing this. Earlier last month, he had a private meeting with Bob, Suzanne, and Marcus regarding this situation. Neither of them had any children nor were any of them married, or planned to anytime soon. Nigel was the only one who had someone to take over his legacy, but they did not. It was easy to persuade them into agreeing with forming a team for Hazel, but the hard part was picking a candidate.

Nigel had no clue what person they were picking, but he was spending his time looking for promising picks that would either support their shared requirements or replace whoever his colleagues picked.

So far, he narrowed down his search to eight; all of which had satisfactory skills that met his objective, but all of which were so hard to choose from.

The sound of footsteps hitting wood alerted the Prehistoric Park head to the front of his desk.

"Hello Nigel," Bob greeted as he stopped before his desk.

Next to him was Suzanne, who did the same but just gave him a friendly wave.

"Suzy, Bob! What brings you here?"

"Haven't seen you all day. What've you been doing?" Bob asked, looking at the files all over his desk.

"Oh, I'm looking over the candidates for incoming employees."

"Don't we already have a lot of them? I think we have enough," the bald colleague folded his arms in inquiry.

Nigel shook his head. "No. Remember what we spoke about regarding Hazel taking over this place one day?"

The head keeper shrugged his shoulders. He remembered having that meeting, but he did not know why he was referring to it. "Depends. What about it?"

"She's succeeding me when I'm done. But there's no one who will be succeeding you two, or even Marcus. Hazel needs a team to help keep this park going," he reminded the both of them.

It was at this moment that Suzanne decided to break her silence. She cleared her throat, attracting the attention of the two other gentlemen. "Well, why didn't you ask us? We already have our choices. We could have saved you the trouble of choosing a candidate."

Nigel raised an eyebrow. He was surprised to hear that they had already chosen their candidates. Normally picking one would take much longer than a month, especially when it came to choosing someone who would have the potential to exceed their expectations. "Oh? What have you two got?"

Bob placed his hands on the desk. He rummaged through the files, opening each and every one of them up. He muttered to himself as he took one look at the pictures and details before placing them off to one side of the desk. Once he found what he was looking for, he took one final look at the name before pushing it towards his superior.

Nigel opened the flap on the file. Inside contained the picture of a young Asian male in his mid-twenties. His hair was short, yet the front was fashioned upwards in the front. He had brown eyes, a broad facial texture, and had a serious facade to him according to the picture. Nigel guessed he was probably a strict individual.

"Chris Sinclair. Smart bloke. Has a ton of experience with working with Residents in zoos. He's also pretty handy with zoology and animal behavior," Bob pointed out from the file.

Well, he was not kidding when he said Chris had a lot of experience working in that kind of field. From his list of skills, he used to work with wolf puppies in Seattle, Washington as well as handling some marine mammals such as dolphins and orcas. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in zoology as well as a minor in biology. His master's degree was also in animal behavior, which he had just obtained from the University of California in Los Angeles back in May of this year.

Nigel took one look at Bob before closing the folder. He placed a hand on it and gave him a smile.

"Hm...well, he seems promising. I'll have to look further into him before making a final decision."

"I chose Daisy White," Suzanne spoke up, wanting to mention her pick to her superior. The men looked at her again, eager to hear why she chose that sort of individual. "She's a prodigy from Athens, Greece. She knows quite a bit on animal anatomy and is well accomplished in medicine as well as veterinary practices. I think she'll be a good addition around here."

Like with Bob, the woman looked over the files on the desk and found the one containing Daisy's information. She was a woman with fair skin, dirty blonde hair, and had an angular facial shape. Her eyes were the brightest blue, like that of a blue crystal. Her long bangs were pulled behind her ears, though he did notice a couple of strands that hung relaxed against her face.

Nigel carefully looked over the woman's description. Like Chris Sinclair, she was accomplished in her field. However, what astonished him was that she graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki at the age of 20 with a bachelor's degree in anatomy and zoology. She volunteered for top organizations during her college years such as the World Wildlife Fund, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and even World Animal Protection. Currently, she was looking for a position in the veterinary field, which was something that Prehistoric Park would gladly offer to her.

"Well, I think I'd like to get to know them myself. Thanks you two," he said as he placed the folder on top of the one containing the folder with Chris Sinclair.

Both of them gave him a nod of appreciation. It was not easy to pick from about thirty candidates and do so in a short amount of time. But that left just one unaccounted for...

"As for your engineer portion," Bob suggested. "You should go ask Marcus. He may have a candidate for you."

"Really? He never told me."

Suzanne gave him an uneasy look. "He doesn't seem to be too eager to recommend him to you, but you should probably check it out."

Nigel stood up, quickly pushing his chair against his desk. He briskly walked passed them, interest flooding his features.

"I think I'll do that now."

The two senior members could only stand and watch as their colleague rushed through the wooden pavilions that connected to his office. They shared a look of astonishment before they both shrugged their shoulders. All this excitement over creating Hazel's team had really gotten him riled up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Marcus' workshop...

After trekking cross-country through the park, Nigel finally made it to the head engineer's workplace. Normally, Marcus would be making a ruckus in this shack on repairing broken equipment, creating a new invention, or experimenting with supplies. However, he was surprised to see the young man talking on his cellphone, ignoring the stun guns on his desk that had their panels open for repairs. He also noted in the back of the place some of the equipment that was damaged during the skirmish in the infirmary a couple days ago. Some of them were neatly placed in a pile, ready for use again. Others looked like they were only partially fixed, with spare parts sticking out and the screens on the monitors still cracked. The rest looked like they were ready to go to the scrapyard due to them being due damaged for repairs.

Marcus speaking on the phone rather than not keeping himself busy during work hours was quite unusual, especially during this time of day.

"Look, I already told you. I just fix up the equipment here and help a little with looking after the Residents," he said.

Nigel furrowed his eyebrows. Was Marcus talking about Prehistoric Park? Did he reveal any secret information that he was not supposed to? He tried to listen in on whoever was on the other line, but found that the voice of the other person was nearly inaudible.

"I can't exactly tell you too much of this place except that we take care of animals here."

That sentence relaxed the park creator. Marcus kept the vow he made to him when he was first hired. No information regarding what they do here was to go out to anyone in the outside, unless they leave out the classified bits like rescuing dinosaurs or using time travel.

"I don't know a place where you can start looking. Just try looking at those job websites!" Marcus yelled into the phone.

Another moment of silence passed. The person on the other line may be hard to hear, but Nigel could somewhat pick up the tell-tale sign of someone groaning on the phone.

"Sorry, it's all I can do. You can use me as a recommendation," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Hey, I got to get back to work. I'll talk to you later."

Marcus pulled his cell phone away from his ear and pressed the end call option on the screen. After placing the phone down flat on his table, he rubbed his temples with his fingers. Today had really been a busy day for him with all the repairs he had to make. He barely had anything to eat and the only thing he had to drink was the giant red sports water bottle that was situated within arm's reach.

The last thing he wanted was another thing to make him all frazzled.

"So who was that?"

Marcus yelped. Twirling around in his chair, he was shocked to see Nigel propping himself with an arm against one part of the workshop doorway. The engineer let out a couple of gasps, trying to relieve the poundings in his chest.

"Shit! Why is it that everyone here scares me at the wrong time!?"

The man clad in his staple blue shirt and vest put his arms up in an apologetic manner for a moment. "Sorry, didn't mean to bother you. Who were you talking to?"

The mechanic groaned, his back slumping a little in his chair. "My brother, Ellis. He's been bugging me to help him get a job."

Nigel raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is he good with machines like you?"

"Yeah, he is I guess. What can I help you with?"

"Well, it concerns that last meeting we had regarding a few new candidates. Remember what we talked about with Bob and Suzanne that one time?"

Marcus gave him an inquisitive look. "That? Yeah, I do. What about it?"

"Bob said you had a candidate you were thinking of, but you were pretty hesitant in sharing that information."

The engineer rolled his eyes and palm-faced. "Damn it...I said I was thinking about it! I didn't say I came to a final decision! Guy can't keep a secret, can he?"

"So who is it?" Nigel asked, ignoring that outburst and trying to stifle a laugh at the reaction.

Marcus gave him a doubtful look. "Ellis, same guy I was talking about. But I doubt you would want him."

"Ellis? I don't remember seeing his name in one of the files I had," Nigel frowned. He had gone over all of those files numerous times but did not recall seeing anyone with the name Ellis Rey. Perhaps he had not put up his information in one of the job websites? Or he just put them up? Or perhaps Nigel overlooked him during his research?

If Marcus held him in high regard like that, then why did he not see information on Ellis? He sounds like a decent mechanic, and perhaps just as good as his brother. Plus, Nigel did not see too many people in his list of folders that were good in that kind of field. The only leads he had were three people from the United States, all of which graduated from top-notch universities. Perhaps this one could exceed his expectations, but he would need more information on him.

"Well, if you say he's desperate for a job and is just as good as you, I can look into him. Though, I will need his resume and all that," Nigel told him simply.

The engineer blew a strand of hair away from his eyes. "Sounds nice and all, but I'm not sure he'll be okay here because he can be a bit lazy. And while he's good with machines, he doesn't have too much practice with being an engineer."

"Well, I'd say being in a position like yours would be excellent practice."

Marcus looked at him as if he had a bird nesting on his head. Seriously, he wants to consider this guy? Ellis, his brother that would only work on something if he likes it, was being considered for a job here? Either he had too much wax in his ears or his head was not screwed on straight.

"You're not thinking of-" Marcus said slowly but was interrupted with a raise of a hand.

"Tell your brother to send you a copy of your resume. Say that your boss has a position open for somebody like him. Just don't tell him anything regarding Prehistoric Park unless you sugarcoat the details."

"Are you sure you'd rather not look for someone else who's more competent?"

Just then, a whining tune rang from within Nigel's pocket. The song was incessant and corny, like that of a typical phone from the late 90s to early 2000s using electronic notes for a song. The main part of the ringtone lasted no less than 10 seconds. To any movie fan from that decade, they would recognize it as the company ringtone from Jurassic Park III.

One look at the screen made Nigel's eyes snap open. He pressed the green "Answer" button in haste before putting it to his ear.

"Hello?" he greeted while trying to control his emotions. The worried look he took upon made Marcus concerned a little.

 _"Nigel! Thank God you picked up!"_ the voice, clearly feminine and youthful, screamed.

The man quickly pulled the phone away and pressed the button on the screen labeled "speaker". Marcus hurried to his side and immediately became worried when he saw the familiar profile picture and name of Hazel Veran.

"Hazel? What's the matter?" the park creator asked her in a collected manner.

 _"Can't explain a lot now! Trying to keep myself and everyone else here from getting baked then eaten, or the other way around. But I need you to set the Time Poles in the Valley Plains pronto!"_ Hazel hollered in a frantic tone of voice. In the background, the two men could clearly hear roars and groans. Some of them sounded raspy while others sounded sonorous like a musical instrument. Crashes and stomps echoed on the other line.

Were she and Flia in the middle of some kind of battle?

"Of course, but why's that?" the man inquired, wanting to know what was really happening.

 _"Let's just say the Holding Pens won't hold the rescues we're planning to save!"_

That was enough for Nigel and Marcus to hear. Whatever Hazel was going on about, she referred to some kind of rescue she wanted to perform. Whether it was an _Allosaurus_ or not, they had no idea. But what they did know was that she needed help.

"Okay, I'll get the Time Poles ready along with a team to take care of the rescues who will be coming through. I can get everything ready within the next 40 minutes. Can you handle that?" Nigel gave her a heads up on his plan.

 _"Um...I think so! I hope..."_ she replied with some hesitance in her voice. She then gasped and let out a scream before hollering out a command, apparently to Flia. _"Flia! Starboard side!"_

"What!?" the men clearly heard the pterosaur squawk in the background. The next thing they heard was a slap to the forehead, courtesy of Hazel.

 _"The right!"_ she reiterated.

The call ended abruptly. The screen on the phone showed a text that reminded them of that. Nigel put the phone away in his pocket and shared a look with Marcus. Both of them were shocked by what they just went through. Hazel and Flia were in some kind of skirmish and the young woman was trying to perform a rescue.

While their curiosity on the situation was apparent in their features, they knew this was not the time to ponder on this conversation. She needed help, and they needed to be ready.

"Duty calls. Send me your brother's information when you can. And inform Aladar and Neera the situation. I'll handle with fetching the Time Poles and rounding up volunteers," Nigel shot him a smile before running out to head towards where the Time Poles were.

Then, seconds later, the engineer found that same man peek his head through the door frame; a few drops of sweat fell down his cheeks from the running he made to get back to him. "Oh, and see if you can enlist the help of Yin and her Flock. Judging from what Hazel said on the phone, we may either be getting a lot of rescues today, or some very large ones."

The man waved him goodbye and rushed back towards the main hub of the park. Once he was gone, Marcus let out a breath that he had forgotten he held. His busy day just got a little bit more hectic. "Sure thing boss...can't seem to catch a break today."

The man rushed back inside his workshop, readying the ATV he had stored inside.

 _A.N. Oh no! A cliffhanger! Please don't kill us! Don't worry, the next chapter is still under works. We'll have it up as soon as possible. Well, it seems like things are certainly heating up again. Wonder what all the fuss is about? Tune in next time for the next chapter in this tale!_


	12. Battle of the Salt Plains

_Darksage: And now…the chapter you have all been waiting for…the biggest rumble perhaps has ever happened in the Jurassic period…_

 _Marc: Sage, don't spoil the whole thing!_

 _Darksage: Okay okay fine._

 _Marc: Um…what's with the drink cap?_

 _Darksage: What? It's a big event. It's like watching a huge game. I even brought popcorn! *brings out a huge tub of buttery popcorn*_

 _Marc: Uh huh… I thought you didn't like soda._

 _Darksage: I don't. I filled the bottles with juice._

 _Marc: Whatever. Anyway, for you folks out there, you already know this, but we don't own Disney's Dinosaur, Walking with Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Park, or Dinosaur Revolution. We only own the characters we made._

 _Darksage: And we don't own the music either. Oh, and just a fair warning, this chapter has graphic material. And by graphic, we mean Jurassic Fight Club graphic. Now let's get this show on the road!_

 _Marc: Pass the popcorn! *Darksage hands the large tub to him*_

 _ **Soundtrack: Battle of the Salt Plains by Benjamin Bartlett**_

When someone thinks of the word "salt", they would think of the miniscule minerals that are found in containers on a dining table that are used as common seasoning for food. In a more scientific approach, experts would refer to it by its scientific name, sodium chloride. This mineral has its many uses, such as for industrial chemicals, water conditioning, highway deicing, and even agriculture. Other uses for salt include medicinal purposes and preservation techniques.

For any creature living in prehistory, especially those that are terrestrial, salt is something that serves as a harbinger of death.

In a part of the western United States, 145 million years ago, lies a vast wasteland devoid of greenery. Mountain formations surrounded the perimeter of this area like a widespread fortress. Sand and gravel were absent here, for only salt was present. No living creature would ever live in this harsh landscape for there would be no resources to support them. Even if there was water from a rare rainstorm, if any happened at all, it would be much too saline for them and would kill them almost instantly for the liquid would absorb the compounds of the saline rocks. There was no vegetation growing here, for the grounds would be much too toxic for them.

While this place was a deathtrap, this did not stop herds from passing through to get to where they needed to go. Any herbivore traveling through here would know this would be a grim journey. The weak would be weeded out by the heat and lack of resources.

But for those that have meat as their diet, this place is a prime hunting ground, especially during the times when herds would make the trek.

For a young, 6-year-old _Allosaurus fragilis_ , this was to be a milestone for him. Now at the cusp of his adulthood, this predator walked through this white, barren landscape, ready to take on his first real hunt in the main part of the Salt Plains. Up ahead was a small herd of _Diplodocus_ making its way through the Salt Plains to some feeding grounds. They looked like large boulders from afar, but that was due to how far he was from them.

He did not spend too much time with scanning the herd, but from afar, he could see that one of them was lagging the rest. The walking gait was a bit slow. Sometimes, the sauropod would rear its head back and then shake its neck in an undulating motion. His hunter instincts told him this one was probably sick, meaning it could be an easy kill unlike the rest.

For the last six years of his life, he has been making do with scavenging for carcasses or eating smaller animals. Getting a sizable prey that would last him for days was something he would find on occasion, assuming there was no other large predator to chase him out. Now he was old enough, for today was the first time he would have a feast. And he was not the only one…at least twenty others of his kind came for this biannual hunt.

The grey-colored, red crested adolescent glanced around him with uncertainty. For the past day, he had been walking alone on the Salt Plains. Now, he was joined by his species brethren. However, none of them gave any sympathy towards a youngster like him. Some of them either ignored him whenever he asked questions or they told him to mind his own business…in a harsh manner.

He let out a resigned breath after his tenth try. He was used to this kind of thing. Ever since he turned a year old, the predator had been living on his own. It was rare for his kind to stay with their mother after they reached their first year. Normally, by the time they reached that age, she would view her offspring as food, or even potential rivals. The only reason a female would not reject her offspring would be if she was looking to build a pack.

Another hour passed, and he walked on by himself. The sun was already at its zenith. The salt on the ground illuminated into a pure white that, if anyone were to stare at it long enough, would have their vision obscured. The heat rose too at an accelerating level. Since this was a salt flat, the heat coming from the sun hitting the salt would be rebounded at significant levels. Not only that, but this was also the middle of a drought. As of right now, the temperature was at 113 degrees F rather than a normal 95 degrees F.

But this _Allosaurus_ paid no heed to the scorching heat. He was used to hot days, but this day would be considered hotter than normal in his standards.

"Ugh, I never expected this place to be so...hot," he complained to himself.

Surprisingly, his comment had attracted some attention he was not expecting.

"You a first timer?"

The adolescent looked over to his left and noticed the figure of an elder Allosaurus closing up on him. At first, he tensed up, until he noticed the elder matching his gait. The older predator was taller than him by a foot or so, and longer than him by a couple feet. Like him, he had the black vertical stripes along his ribs and the same red crests over his eyes. His slate grey hide was a little lighter in contrast to his. Upon further inspection, the young hunter noticed a large grey scar run across the right side of his body, most likely a scar from a previous battle.

"Unfortunately..." the younger one resisted a gulp.

The elder carnivore chuckled, his voice sounding a little airy yet sounded like an old male's. "Don't worry kid. You stick with me and I'll show you what to do."

"Thanks...um, who are you?"

"Name's Takomo," he introduced himself with a sense of pride. "And you kid?"

The youngster looked away, trying to hide the blushing that occurred on his cheeks. "Oh, well my name's a bit of a jawful."

Takomo chuckled, amused by the budding hunter's sheepishness. "Really? Well, you can tell it to me if you want. Unless you'd rather wait until after the hunt."

A resigned breath escaped his maw. "Alright fine. I'll tell you after we get some food." He then looked at him with such interest. None of the other _Allosaurus_ wanted to commune with him, yet this one here showed such interest. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I was in your place one time. Don't know why, but I see myself in you. Must be my old senses acting up."

The first-time hunter stared at him incredulously. Seriously, everyone in the Salt Plains either ignored him or told him to buzz off. Yet, this elder was going out of his way to help him? This world was unforgiving in its own way, where you would have to be strong to survive. One mistake could mean life or death. Either today was a lucky day or this one was not like the others.

"Um...okay? Thanks?"

Takomo cleared his throat, his tone turning serious. "Well kid, if this is your first time out here in the Salt Plains, then listen up. I don't like repeating anything twice so I expect you to understand everything I say. Those huge leaf eaters may look slow because they're huge, but don't let that fool you. They're fast on their feet, but can only run for so long. Avoid their tails and try not to run close to their necks. Their blind spots are their sides and underneath them. You see them angle their bodies a certain way, you can bet they're going to swipe those huge tails at you. Always give them a lot of space. And most importantly, always keep an eye on your surroundings. You never know when there's another one coming at you."

"Blind sides and tails. Got it," he acknowledged with a nod.

"And one more thing," the veteran added, attracting his attention once more. "Don't expect anyone here to help you if you get injured. Out here, it's every Allo for themselves. The only help you're going to see is one that will aim to take down our target, or targets."

Now that, he already knew. But then again, this was the main part of the Salt Plains and this was his first hunt for a large herbivore. There were rules that he had to learn, and he had to learn them quickly. However, when he looked at him again, he saw that his warning expression told him otherwise. He was not referring to his own safety, but to the hunt itself.

"What do you mean?"

"Use your eyes, boy. I see another prospective kill for us."

Looking ahead, the newcomer observed the herd once more. Moments passed and he did not find anything unusual about the herd, save for the large _Diplodocus_ at the front who had a gap in his spines on his back and the sickly individual that was lagging behind. Looking a little more closely, he thought he saw two smaller creatures riding in that gap, but they could also be deformed spines. He also could have sworn he noticed two smaller creatures traveling under one of the sauropods in the middle of the herd, but it could just be a trick of light from the heat.

Right when he was about to call it quits, he caught sight of what Takomo was referring to. When one _Diplodocus_ in the back of the herd caught up to the middle of the group, he noticed two more individuals that he nearly mistook for the same species. Both of them were sauropods, just like the rest of the herd, except they had a number of differences. The first one, coming from the largest, had a red, black and white cobweb pattern along its hide. This one had the same body stature as the others, except it was taller and longer by several feet. The tail was a stump and had a white covering instead of having the usual whip-like fashion; a previous injury perhaps, however the white covering was a complete mystery.

The other individual, the young hunter found out, was what Takomo wanted him to see. This one had a paler complexion and lacked the pattern of its supposed parent. It was a youngster and was a quarter of the adult's height. Everything was fine about this youngling except for how it was walking. He squinted then gasped in realization; one of its feet was bent inward, causing it to walk on its ankle.

"It's a youngling with a bad leg. Looks like an easy kill," he licked his teeth, imagining its juicy flesh in his jaws.

"Don't get cocky, boy," Takomo warned, veering him from his reckless thinking. "That one is staying close to its mother, meaning that she'll protect her kid with her life. That makes her extra dangerous. You just keep in mind what I told you. You get that youngster, you call yourself a true hunter out here in the Plains."

Just then, their little pep talk was interrupted by some cackling and guffaws. Looking over to their left, they saw another pack of _Allosaurus_ walking parallel to the Diplodocus herd. The young hunter scrutinized their appearance as they drew closer to them. The inspection he gave revealed that these newcomers had a drastically different appearance than him, or more specifically, his own kind. They possessed the same eye crests over their eyes and were about the same size, more or less. However, the yellows, browns, reds, and the white markings that drew down or across their eyes greatly differed from the usual grey markings of his kind. The spines along the back down to their tails were also a dead giveaway of a different species.

"Who are they?" the adolescent inquired. "I've never seen the likes of them before."

Takomo gruffly responded, showing some slight disgust. "Yellow Skins. They always leap before they look and are pretty damn reckless in nature. Not to mention they'll pick a fight with anything, even things that are bigger than them. Everyone here knows better than to mess with the likes of them. It's best not to associate with their kind."

He nodded in acknowledgement. Memories of his childhood streamed back to him. He had heard about Yellow Skins before when he was still with his mother. She had told him to watch out for beings that had "golden hides and spines on their backs that looked just like them". His mother emphasized that they were savage ruffians who would tear them apart without a thought. Now that he had seen them in the flesh, he knew that her words on them were true.

But if there was one thing he did not even think about before, it was why his mother strongly urged her children to stay away from them. She never told him because she did not know why; her own mother told her the same thing she told him and his siblings.

"Hey Takomo? How come the Yellow Skins are…well…the way they are? Why do we have to stay away from them?" he asked the elder, wanting to see if he can get an answer to this age-old question.

The veteran hunter eyed him with astonishment. "What? No one's ever told you why we don't like them?"

He shook his head innocently.

"Bah, guess it makes sense. Your mama probably didn't know herself," he cleared his throat then began to explain everything from his memory. "My mother knew full well why the Yellow Skins and us are this way. Legend has it that long ago, they used to be like us; same appearance and personality and all. Then, one day, a dark time fell upon us. All the green died off, and soon, the leaf eaters that ate those greens went with them. Those that survived started to move south for better places to live."

Takomo swallowed, wetting his dry throat from his extensive explanation. "Our kind is a pretty resilient one. See, we're pretty patient and can wait out periods for a certain time. Most of us decided to stay and wait out the famine. But, some of us decided to go down south. The ones that migrated out were never heard from again for some time. Those that did stay found that the famine lasted for a brief period."

"So how did those guys that left turn into the Yellow Skins?" the youngster inquired.

"It's a simple answer. The lands that border this part of the Salt Plains were harsher than the ones we're used to. There's less water to be found and less green. Yet there was prey if you knew where to look. One had to be tough to survive those dry areas. Believe me, I've only been to their territory once during my wanderings; I'd much prefer the lands that we're both from. The group that left our kind changed when they migrated south; their hides became brighter, their bodies became more fearsome, and most of all, their personalities drastically changed. No longer were they wise and cautious like us. The land changed them."

"I see," the young hunter understood.

"Then, there came a time when our two tribes met again. It was when we both found the leaf eaters crossing this area, which, as it turns out, was in between our lands. When our kind met with the Yellow Skins, they were so different from us that we had no idea they used to look like us. Those that did remember the old days taunted us for being too cowardly or too lazy to venture out to find a new home. They kept saying their change made them stronger. Dung holes, they belittle us for making the right decision."

"Well, whatever the case, the point is they're different," the novice concluded, wanting to avoid his teacher from going off about any ill feelings he had towards the rival tribe.

The two turned their attention back to the Yellow Skins when they heard them laugh loudly. They saw them bicker and do some "play fighting"; that was if attacking each other and putting their opponents in submission holds then leaving them with minor scars on their bodies was considered a way to fight for dominance. Right when he was going to ignore their presence and continue with the hunt, another one of their kind ran up to them from the direction of the _Diplodocus_ herd. Why a predator would be coming from that vicinity was beyond him. But what really drew his attention was the appearance of that particular Yellow Skin.

Unlike the Yellow Skin gang he took note of, this one had a misaligned lower jaw that looked like something stepped on it then healed in a crooked manner. In short, it looked like a snapped stick that was reattached in the wrong place.

"Who the heck is that? The one with the ugly mug?" the young predator asked the elder.

Takomo returned his gaze to the _Allosaurus lucasi_. His expression turned from indifferent to intrigued in a second. "Ah, I've heard of that one. If my eyes aren't deceiving me, then that is the Yellow Skin known as Broken Jaw. I heard rumors that he was the top killer in his land before he was driven out by something much bigger than him. I'm not surprised to find him all the way out here. With that mangled jaw of his, I doubt he'll survive long in this place. Never seen him once out in these here plains."

The novice carnivore could not help but gulp. This Broken Jaw sounded like a tough one. Just from appearances alone, he looked like to be about the same age as he was. If he was able to hold one whole bit of land for years with that sort of handicap, then he sounds like a strong individual. Though he had no idea what could have caused him to leave his own territory, there was one thing he was certain of; stay away from him.

The two of them then witnessed something that was not only diverting, but also disturbing. From afar, they saw the Yellow Skin gang approach the one known as Broken Jaw with much enthusiasm. The young hunter deduced they somehow knew each other and were reacquainting themselves. However, he was wrong when he overheard some nasty words come from their mouths. Words such as "weak cripple", "ugly jaw", and "the sniveling wreck that lost his dirt mound" echoed in the air as they surrounded the intruder. From what he was hearing, these Yellow Skins knew Broken Jaw at one point, but only perceived him as a personal punching bag.

Enraged at the comments he was receiving, the ex-King of the Hill charged at one of the Yellow Skins that circled him. In one quick movement, he bit down on the individual's throat. The victim screamed out in agony at the sudden attack. Broken Jaw pulled back and, with short work, shredded open the Allosaur's throat. Blood spewed out in a never-ending fountain from the wound. Torn flesh dangled outward like deformed leaves. The carnivore collapsed on the ground, jerking around for a few seconds before coming to a standstill. The blood that oozed out painted the salt in a horrifying red.

The other Yellow Skins that taunted him and witnessed the act quickly backed away. Their maws shut tight, silencing themselves from making any more insults. Broken Jaw looked around at them, gave them a huff, and then walked on, spitting out the torn flesh of the other Allosaur onto the ground.

"Ew...yeah definitely staying away from them. I wouldn't want to get mixed up with them," the novice swallowed, drying his parched throat.

"Very wise," Takomo agreed.

As the new hunter watched Broken Jaw walk, he noticed that he was approaching another Yellow Skin that was among that group. This one had stayed back from the others that taunted him before. Broken Jaw stopped a few feet from this one, and the two engaged in conversation.

The _Allosaurus_ he had approached looked different from a couple of them. This one retained most of the desert-toned colors from the others in the pack, however, this individual had rusty-red in its color scheme. All along the back were a few gold accents that outlined the pattern. On its eyes were some white markings that spanned out in a horizontal fashion. In all honesty, the individual looked similar to a couple of the individuals from the pack. Judging from the slender build and the color accents, the budding predator deduced this one and the others like it as female.

Takomo, who had observed the boy's curiosity on the by standing Yellow Skin, leaned a little closer to him. His presence alerted the individual as he began to explain her identity. "That one there is Red Sand. Rumor has it she's the most brutal Yellow Skin to roam the Salt Plains. She has no regards for the hardships of others, even if they are her kin. She's so tough, she's pretty much a legend among the Yellow Skins. If there's a Yellow Skin you should avoid, it's her. The only mercy she'll give you if you get on her bad side is if she gives you a quick death."

"Brutal. Definitely not going near her," he understood promptly.

"Good. Now come on. We've got some hunting to do," the elder told him and walked ahead.

The young hunter drew his attention away from the conversing Yellow Skins. Although he wanted to know more about their kind and the lore of their tribes, he did not want to miss out on the only feast he would get in several months. The young hunter walked alongside Takomo, his eyes trained on the _Supersaurus_ youngling with a bad leg.

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At the same time…

Broken Jaw had survived a lot of things before, a number of which were either out of luck or because he was able to overcome it without outside help. Large herbivores he could take on with precision and timing. That he learned after the second time he took on Woodstock and amputated her tail. Smaller carnivores, unless they were Caius and Flit, were easy for him. Huge carnivores like that _Torvosaurus_ at the Water Hole were a stick in the mud, but that was because he had assistance from some unexpected help.

This one…was something he never thought he would be able to take on.

Approaching the family that abandoned him after he got his handicap was one thing. Savagely attacking one of his elder siblings that called him weak was another. In his book, that was well-deserved payback. Going up to the one female that no longer saw him as one of her own blood for years? Now that was different.

One minute, he was watching his own sibling die from his wounds. And the next, he was looking upon the one female who he once called his mother. The years had done little to affect the female's stature. Broken Jaw may be barely out of his adolescence, but he now saw himself as nearly as tall as her. Fury and hatred built up within his insides like a raging fire as he approached the most vicious predator to ever walk the Salt Plains, even more ruthless than the _Torvosaurus_ that ruined his pride at the Water Hole.

"That was the eldest and strongest of my clutch, broken-jawed child," she said in a surly, yet cold voice while eyeing the bleeding _Allosaurus_ on the ground.

"So it was," Broken Jaw narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth at her.

Red Sand looked upon him like he was an ant to a tree. The look she gave him made him utter a low growl in annoyance. "I taught my entire clutch to be the strongest they could be, so they could better survive the dunes of the Plains."

The female then let out a low, seemingly calculated, chuckle. "But, it appears my efforts were wasted on them. And yet, here you are, broken one, still alive and standing over one that had been taught all of my wisdom."

The spawn of the Salt Plains tyrant snorted in irritation. "Sorry to disappoint."

"You are mistaken," she said, revealing a not-so easily shown side of her, one where she was clearly impressed. She slowly walked over to the elder sibling and gave him a heartless glance. "I am not disappointed."

The _Allosaurus_ that was bleeding out was gasping, yet his wound only made his situation even worse. Every breath he let out just caused more blood to spew out. His breathing was ragged, like something was jumping on his chest like a little trampoline. The last thing he saw was his own mother raise her feet then plant it on his throat.

A crack sounded from where Red Sand had stepped. The body of the hunter jerked for a moment before becoming still. Her feet were now stained from the blood of the dead offspring. In her eyes, and those she gave birth to, this was her way of showing mercy.

She then walked away towards the one she had abandoned long ago. Each step she took was marked by the blood of her eldest sibling on the ground; the pure white canvas of earth became painted by gruesome tracks. When she stood before him, her expression became steely, yet amused.

"I am proud. Well done. Perhaps if I hadn't cast you aside, you would have been the epitome of my legacy."

"I don't care for what you think!" Broken Jaw roared at her. The head female stood her ground, not fazed by her son's sudden outburst. "You tossed me aside! I want NOTHING from you."

With that said, Broken Jaw turned tail and stormed away. He passed his six other siblings without giving them a glance. Not that he wanted to anyway; he did not like them as much as he hated his mother. The other _Allosaurus_ watched him rush back towards the _Diplodocus_ herd, whether it was to partake in the hunt or for some other objective, they had no idea.

Red Sand took in a deep breath, her pride having survived the bulk of that verbal attack. She could care less about the offspring she left behind. But in her mind, she could not help but almost admire how strong he had become over the years. Almost…

"Of course, Broken one," she muttered under her breath.

She then snapped her head towards each and every one of her remaining clutch. Their looks radiated hunger and patience on her next move.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she said gesturing to the corpse of her eldest son. "This sorry carcass isn't going to eat itself."

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Over with the _Diplodocus_ Herd…several minutes later

Hazel let out a begrudged sigh. With the sun sending its scorching rays down on her and the land being as hot as it can be due to the wide expanse of the salt flat, being hot was an understatement. For a human like Hazel, who lacked the large girth of the sauropods and quickly lost water in the form of sweat, she was being roasted to death. Her forehead, pits, legs, and everywhere else on her body was leaking out water nonstop in an effort to stay cool in the intense heat.

Human beings can tolerate extreme temperatures, but only to a certain extent. In addition, this would be if they were equipped with the proper clothing and had the much needed supplies. In extremely hot environments, humans could get hypothermia in 140 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, unless they kept themselves hydrated. Hazel did just that; taking a few squirts of water from her water bottles and then giving some to Flia to save her that same trouble. All while rationing that precious liquid until they made it across the salt flat. Then Flia occasionally flapped her wings to keep the both of them cool.

But Hazel could not do this forever. She only brought so much water and she was down to her last two bottles. Her thirst was heightened due to the intense heat and the salt drying her only made it worse. They had been in this part of the Salt Plains for the last 24 hours. When they first set foot in the vast geologic expanse, Hazel wished they found a way around it; the desert landscape they were in before was a lot better than here.

The only good thing was the transportation they were on. She and the _Pteranodon_ had been riding on the gap of Charles' back for pretty much the whole trip since they left the Water Hole. The leading _Diplodocus_ did not mind their company and barely noticed their weights. At least they did not have to walk or fly, otherwise they would have been in a worse situation.

"Ugh...good gravy! I've been in hot deserts before, but this place takes the cake! It's hotter than a sauna in the Bahamas!" Hazel complained for the umpteenth time.

"I don't know what that place is," Flia said, seemingly aroused from her dazed state from staring out into the salty horizon. "But this is worse than crossing the desert in previous migrations. How can anyone survive this kind of heat?"

"I did warn you two of the dangers of this place," Charles told them, craning his head back to look upon the beings that were hitching a ride on him. "The Salt Plains is always hot around this time, but due to the Scorch season we're in, it's hotter than usual. We should get to the other side in two days. Or if we're fast enough, by the end of the next day."

Hazel laughed sarcastically, though it partially sounded like a cry of torture. "Oh lovely... What I would kill for an ice room. Or some AC. Or an ice bath!"

"Easy Hazel. We'll be out of here soon," Flia reassured her.

She turned away from her human comrade and sophisticated herbivorous companion. Flying out to scout for potential dangers was out of her list at the moment due to the scorching heat of the day. She would rather do so when the day was cooler or when the sun was going down. For now, she settled with looking out in the distance, spotting what could be reprieve for them or not. Minutes of staring out and she was starting to see images that looked like dark, triangular shapes.

Flia's eyes beamed with hope. The shapes broadened out at the bottom before thinning down when they touched the ground. At the top, she could see they ended in a point. There were at least twenty or so that she was looking at, some of them were closely grouped together. They were dark in color, but she believed her vision.

"Look! I can see some trees! Apparently, there is life in this wasteland. With any luck, we could find some water here."

Hazel snapped her head to her left. Charles did the same, but only for a brief moment. He looked away, his relief having died down after looking at what the pterosaur saw. The _Diplodocus_ had been traveling through the Salt Plains to know what was real and what was not. Not once had he seen any green here, or any water for that matter. He resumed his thoughts on leading the herd, not wanting to be swayed by fantastical visions.

For Hazel, she was a bit more open-minded. However, thinking about where they were at and the area they were in, her scientific mind had told her otherwise.

"Trees?" she eyed her with uncertainty. "In these kind of salt flats? Impossible."

"But they're right there!" the sky scout defended and pointed a wing in the distance. "I can see them right now!"

The human looked over, wanting to quickly debunk this absurd vision so she could get with taking a nap she had planned. Hazel took note of the odd shapes in the distance. Flia described them as looking like trees. To the human, they looked rounder and were slate grey in color. Then there were some off to the right of the main group that looked dark gold like moldy yellow leaves.

Hazel shook her head and gave the pterosaur a frown. "Flia, that's called a mirage. Don't fall for it. Besides, there are no trees here. The salt would be too toxic for plant vegetation to grow. And even if there was water, it would be much too salty. It would kill you in a matter of seconds if you drink it. Also, I think what you're seeing are rocks. They're most likely leftovers from some geologic event or something."

While Flia tried to comprehend this "geologic" knowledge that her human companion spewed out, there was one thing that puzzled her.

"Hazel, if you say it's a mirage, then how come you're seeing it too?"

The flyer then looked at the images again. Her beak quivered at the visions getting bigger…or in this case, closer to them.

"And if they are rocks, then why are they coming towards us?"

A scream sounded off from within the herd. Charles stopped his march and craned his neck back to see what had happened. Hazel and Flia did the same, only to find that the one screaming was one of the female _Diplodocus_ several hundred feet behind them. The others around the herd stopped and looked at her, wanting to discern the cause of her stress. They got their answer from one single word, followed by another scream.

"Predators!"

That one single word was enough to cause chaos. The sauropods screamed their heads off, all clamoring about the incoming danger. Only looking over in the direction she looked at only made things worse. The members rushed forward, as fast as their large trunks could take them. The earth trembled at their passing, almost to the point that the tremors could have been mistaken for mini earthquakes. Salt dust threw up in the air in clouds. Their tails waved around vigorously like palms in a strong breeze.

Charles yelped at the sight and took off running as well. His action caused his two riders to gasp in surprise at the sudden burst of speed. Both had to hang onto his hide, or in Hazel's case, hang onto one of his spines to prevent herself from falling forward. The _Diplodocus_ spines they were situated in between may be about the size of cardboard boxes, but Hazel did not want to risk hitting herself against one of those protrusions. She could lose an eye or worse if that happened.

When they looked over in the horizon again, where the images were, both blinked several times to make sure neither of them were hallucinating. Rushing towards the herd was a large group of carnivores. Their slate-grey hides, black vertical stripes, and red crests over their eyes alerted the two of them of the danger the herd was in. And for only a moment, they could have sworn that nearby, before zipping towards the back of the herd, was a small group of similar creatures with golden, terracotta hides and spines on their back.

Flia's expression turned into one of horror. But for Hazel, her face contorted into a beaming grin.

"Hazel, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" the flyer darted her head on both sides. Her fears turned into a reality when she saw another group of those creatures come from the other side.

"Oh yeah! _Allosaurus_! Both _fragilis_ and _lucasi_!" Hazel happily blurted out.

Charles let out a frightened bellow, alerting the two time travelers to his distress of the situation. "The end of the Salt Plains is at the other side of this place. We won't be able to make it there by nightfall! We can run fast, but not for long; these monsters will run us down before we can catch our breaths! We don't stand a chance at all!"

It was at that moment the human thought up an idea. A couple days ago, when she and Flia encountered Charles and his herd again, they spoke about the possibility of leaving the Salt Plains for someplace more livable. Charles did mention he was not opposed to living in a land with so much greenery, endless sources of water, and being among creatures he could live in peace with. What the _Diplodocus_ did not know was that they were referring to living in Prehistoric Park and were merely asking him indirectly if he and his herd would like to be brought to the 21st century.

Now that they were on the search for more food and were trying to escape a hungry pack of carnivores, this was something Hazel could not pass up. In addition, having both species of _Allosaurus_ here meant that she could hit three birds with one stone. It was a prehistoric jackpot!

"Charles! Remember what we spoke about a couple days ago on where you'd rather live than here?" the human brought up the memory of their previous conversation days ago. "About living in a paradise that has all the food and water you can wish for?"

"Dear Hazel, this is no time to be fantasizing!" Charles scolded at her like a child who did not see the bigger picture.

The human shook her head in denial. "I'm not! We were telling the truth! The place Flia and I were talking about was the place we both came from! It's called Prehistoric Park! If you let us help you, we can get everyone to safety!"

The alpha _Diplodocus_ craned his neck over to them once more. His face radiated complete suspicion on their words and was met with heartfelt determination from his riders. Of all the years he lived on the Salt Plains, he had never heard of a place that was so full of life and promise. Herbivores that lived in a place like this always had to keep moving to the next area with bountiful food. To live in a place with so many resources and not have to migrate was anybody's dream. But hearing something like that come from two beings that claim to come from another land sounds like something absurd.

"You won't have to worry about constantly traveling for food," Hazel added, almost begging him to accept. "It's a paradise. Please, we want to help you."

Charles looked away for a moment. Everything they had ever known was the Salt Plains; from their moment of hatching to their reasons to migrate, to the hardships they went through. Now these two were offering them an opportunity to leave all that behind for something better. The carnivores running about now also added reason on why the Salt Plains were a harsh place to live in, which only supported Charles to give his final decision to them.

The sauropod briskly nodded, as he saw no other choice. If he refused, the herd would die, either by being hunted down by the carnivores or slowly dying by the harshness of the Salt Plains. But it was a decision he gladly accepted.

"Very well, but hurry! We can't run forever!"

Both human and _Pteranodon_ gave him a nod of relief. The sauropod watched the large flyer quickly turn her back to him and spread her wings. The young human stood up and grabbed onto the saddle of the pterosaur's back after shooting him a smile.

"We won't let you down. Come on Flia!"

The both of them took off to the skies, speeding off away from the herd towards the north. The large sauropod then looked back at his herd. All of them were frantically trying to escape the pestering of the _Allosaurus_. The screaming and roars they were giving off pained his heart as they ran for their lives. Looking back, he saw the familiar shapes of Woodstock and Clearwater trying to keep up with them; they too were frightened with the sudden onset of the predators. Living in the Salt Plains for so long, the alpha sauropod knew that with a youngling like Clearwater not being old enough to fend off attackers and having a bad leg, he would be a primary target for them.

Charles could go back and help them, but doing so would mean leaving his herd to go off in random directions. They had to run to where Hazel and Flia were going. The only thing he can do now would be to listen to the two travelers from another land.

"Keep moving everyone!" he boomed. "Hazel and Flia will get us out of here! Follow them!"

The herd stormed forward, going as fast as their weight could take them. Their stampede in the direction the scouts took left behind a constant stream of dust, along with several _Allosaurus_ that chased after them for food.

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Minutes passed and Hazel and Flia finally landed onto the ground. The _Pteranodon_ had to power through the prehistoric air in an effort to put in a lot of distance between where the portal would be set up and the sauropod herd. The constant heat bearing down on them and the weight of Hazel's bag were causing her wings to feel strained.

When Hazel looked back, she saw the distant shapes of the frightened _Diplodocus_ , _Supersaurus_ family, and the combined gang of _Allosaurus_ species coming towards them. A quick guestimate on their distance and she calculated they were about a mile and a half from where they originally were. The distant mountains to her right and further up north when they were flying meant they were too far to be brought to the safety of more promising parts of the desert. It would take days to get out of this Salt Flat, but less than an hour to get to the Time Poles.

Once Hazel dismounted from the flyer, she hauled her bag off her back onto the salt. She unzipped the largest pocket and took out two silver poles from its reaches. The human then closed the bag and began to place the poles in their respective spots.

 _ ***Chick***_

The first pole was stabbed into the salt. The girl grasped the switch at the top and pulled until she was met with a click at the top. The lights at the top of the pole ignited to a bright blue. Hazel ran a considerable distance away; about 40 feet from the first pole.

 _ ***Chick***_

Again, she stabbed the second pole into the ground and activated it as well.

Once the poles were set up, Hazel ran back to Flia. Climbing onto her back and grasping onto the strap near her neck, the scouts took to the sky. As they gained altitude, Hazel took this chance to retrieve the phone from her pocket. The phone that she carefully preserved power throughout their time in the Jurassic period was turned on by the button on the top. The pitch black screen illuminated to life and in mere seconds, the main screen switched to the contacts list. She pressed the one person that she needed to contact before putting the phone against her ear.

The phone rang thrice and then a familiar voice sounded off on the other side.

"Nigel! Thank God you picked up!"

" _Hazel? What's the matter?"_ her mentor asked her calmly despite being concerned for her worry.

"Can't explain a lot now! Trying to keep myself and everyone else here from getting baked then eaten, or the other way around. But I need you to set the Time Poles in the Valley Plains pronto!" she screamed over the winds of the salt plain. The speed she and Flia were going at was so fast that the wind was creating interference in the call, making her raise her voice. On top of that, the roars of the _Allosaurus_ attacking the _Diplodocus_ were so loud she tried to focus on her mentor's voice.

" _Of course, but why's that?"_ Nigel questioned which Hazel barely heard due to the disturbance nearby.

A sudden wind turbulence they encountered caused the _Pteranodon_ to screech in surprise and Hazel to hug the saddle tightly. "Let's just say the Holding Pens won't hold the rescues we're planning to save!"

 _"Okay, I'll get the Time Poles ready along with a team to take care of the rescues that will be coming through. I can get everything ready within the next 40 minutes. Can you handle that?"_ he explained the plan to her.

In Prehistoric Park, there were two Time Poles that were always situated nearby the Holding Pens. The last time they had to be transferred to a new location, it was when Hazel and Nigel were rescuing Aladar and Neera's herd, along with the Lemur Clan, from the meteor that hit the earth in the Late Cretaceous. The setup of the Time Poles would take some time, but if the setup was rushed, it could be ready in less than an hour.

The worry in Hazel's pit intensified. The Time Poles were a mile and a half away. Going at the speed these sauropods were going, they could reach the Time Poles in time, but perhaps barely. If the Time Poles in Prehistoric Park were not set up in time, she would have no choice but to retrieve the Time Poles and transfer them to a further distance, all the while risking the livelihood of the _Diplodocus_ herd.

Hazel gulped. "Um...I think so! I hope..."

Just then, she looked over to her right and saw that they were flying parallel to the herd. One of the _Allosaurus fragilis_ roared and was running towards one of the smaller Diplodocus that was making his way to Charles for protection. The predator may be several feet away from making an actual direct attack on the herbivore, but Hazel did not want to take a chance.

"Flia! Starboard side!" Hazel screamed, pulling her face away from the phone.

"What!?" Flia squawked in confusion.

The girl slapped her forehead, once again forgetting that she had no knowledge of the 21st century phrases.

"The right!" she reiterated.

Flia looked in that direction and angled her body so that they were headed straight for the predator. Hazel quickly ended the call and stashed her phone into her right pocket, hoping her mentor got the message to get started immediately. The sky scouts quickly closed in on the _Allosaurus_ before he could get too close to the herbivores. The _Pteranodon_ slammed her weight against the carnivore, putting him off balance and causing him to fall forward.

The hunter barked in surprise as he rolled away. The younger _Diplodocus_ bellowed a "Thank you" and continued to catch up to his leader.

Flia and Hazel looked back and smiled before making their way around the perimeter of the herd. At this time, the sky scouts now became the herd's defenders.

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Veer to the left. Dodge a neck swipe coming in at the right. Duck under an underbelly. The young hunter kept moving passed the masses of the grey behemoths.

The herbivores, in their panic, all swiped their tails and necks from side to side to attack the ones that were attempting to kill them. But, they had no idea of their intentions. An _Allosaurus_ did indeed have the potential to kill large prey, but only with some assistance or if said prey was weakened to begin with. These _Diplodocus_ were much too strong to handle alone.

Not only that, but his kind were well-informed with nature's balance. To kill off any prey they came across frivolously without regards to the availability to other hunters would lead to overhunting and eventual extinction. First it would come to the prey disappearing, then those that hunted them. The young hunter and those like him only hunted for what they needed.

Right now, what he needed to do was to get to that _Supersaurus_ youngling. Per Takomo's advice on the hunt, he was careful of the sauropods' blind sides and how they moved. He even managed to dodge a few neck swipes and even some stomping.

"Keep moving boy! Don't stop!" Takomo yelled as they ran side by side.

"I don't intend to!" he replied back, huffing out large breaths from running so much.

"Watch out!"

The young hunter looked ahead and saw a massive shape come at him. Upon instinct, he skidded to a stop and angled his body to the side to avoid falling forward. The _Allosaurus_ crouched down, allowing the massive object to pass over him with a whoosh. He stood back up, unharmed.

But as he did, he saw the shape come swishing back. He ducked again, allowing it to pass over, before darting off ahead to avoid getting hit.

One quick look back and he determined he had dodged an attack from an incoming _Diplodocus_ that was trying to swipe him away with a whip-tail attack.

An airy laugh sounded off next to him. Looking over, the grey adolescent took in the form of Takomo running alongside him again. His facial feature was that of amusement.

"Nice move boy!" the elder congratulated.

"Thanks!" he accepted the comment. It was not every day he was praised for quick thinking.

A roar erupted from behind them. One quick look back and the adolescent saw that same _Diplodocus_ that nearly hit him fight off against another _Allosaurus_. He was about to deduce it was another one of his kind until he noticed it had a deep yellow hide mixed with some red. The size, white vertical markings on the eyes, and the fact that it was female revealed the new hunter's identity. His quick analysis had told him that this adult _Allosaurus_ was Red Sand, the Yellow Skin that he heard of from Takomo.

From where he was, he could clearly see again why his kind would not get along with these Yellow Skins. She attacked him with a frontal attack, landing a bite onto one of the front legs. The _Diplodocus_ , letting out a bellow and was clearly aggravated, lifted itself up. The _Allosaurus_ released her grip from the leg and landed back onto the ground with a thump.

Her prey bellowed out again, this time in rage, before bringing itself down; its intent was to squish her beneath the weight. The ferocious carnivore managed to roll out of the way in time, allowing the feet to pound the earth and create a huge dust cloud.

The young hunter looked away. As much as he wanted to watch the battle occur before him, he wanted to focus on his own hunt. He did not want any more distractions to impede his judgement on his first hunt in the true Salt Plains.

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While the chaos ensued between the fleeing sauropods and the hungry _Allosaurus_ , two certain carnivores were caught in the middle of the fray. One grey and black _Ornitholestes_ and his golden-hued _Rhamphorhynchus_ companion scurried within the giant group with their lives, all while trying to avoid getting crushed by their massive girths and getting eaten by whatever giant predators were attacking them.

Before this mess even started, Caius and Flit were just minding their own business on traveling with the herd. Per Broken Jaw's instruction, they remained hidden by walking under one of the giant's underbellies, both to avoid detection and to have some protection from the outside elements. Neither of the plant eaters noticed their presence, not that they cared anyway. Their small size was not a threat to herbivores that were at least ninety feet in length.

So, they traveled undetected with the herd, while Broken Jaw went away to take care of some "personal business". Whatever it was, they had no idea. What they did know was that when he tells them to stay behind and that his errand was "personal", they knew better than to interfere. He had been gone for a long time, and it was not long before the herd was being besieged by a gang of creatures that looked like him.

Caius weaved around the huge sauropods; his gift of speed and stealth kept him and his flyer friend alive. Poor Flit held onto the lithe meat eater's neck for life to prevent him from flying off…hopefully not into a predator's mouth. The Ornitholestes dodged the huge feet of the herbivores, all to find where their own piece of the family went.

"Man, what the heck is going on!? Some kind of party we weren't invited to!?" Flit cawed inquisitively out of fear over the screaming longnecks.

"It's an ambush! That's what it is!" Caius yelled back, stating the obvious.

The pterosaur gripped onto the slender hunter's skin tightly, drawing tiny bits of blood from the winged fingers. "We gotta get out of here before we get crushed by those huge feet, or eaten!"

"We do that and we'll expose ourselves!"

Flit strained from a sudden turn Caius made. "Where's BJ!?"

"I don't know! He hasn't returned!"

Caius veered around another Diplodocus, just barely avoiding it swinging its neck while it contended with one of the _Allosaurus fragilis_. The attacking predator was knocked off its feet and sent flying. Once he went under the belly to the outside of the herd, the small hunter was met by an unsuspecting sight. Skidding to a stop and angling his body so complete the action, the duo looked upon an _Allosaurus lucasi_ that was staring down at them. The sun's rays obscured the face of the carnivore they raised for years.

"BJ! Where the heck were you!? I thought you left us to get eaten!" Flit squawked in a scolding manner.

Said carnivore replied with a roar. To a human who was in the vicinity, it sounded like a cross between a chainsaw motor and a tiger's roar. While the two friends were slightly fazed by the sudden outburst, they knew for years that kind of roar was one of intimidation. Broken Jaw would never do something like that unless it was to joke around with them. Why he was doing it now was odd.

Caius let out a frightened gasp. While Flit could not see due to the sun beaming down on him, he did catch the _Ornitholestes'_ reaction.

"Uh...BJ? You okay?" the ocean-going pterosaur asked, trying to keep his crawling fear under control.

The large carnivore leaned his head down. When he did, the duo saw the one thing that confirmed their fears. While this one had the same golden-brown coloration of an _Allosaurus lucasi_ , the jaw was, in fact, intact. The eyes they grew to know showed that of a monster that was ready to devour its prey. The creature's jaw opened, revealing sharp teeth as large as knives and dripping with globs of saliva.

"That's not Broken Jaw..." Caius quivered, taking a few steps back slowly from the new hunter.

The carnivore roared again, this time at a louder intensity. The little hunter scurried away in the other direction, his flyer friend just barely flying off his back.

"Not BJ! Definitely NOT BJ! RUN!"

The Allosaur snorted and gave chase to the hitchhiking carnivores. The feet of the giant meat eater carried him to his prey in no time flat. Caius, who had the legs built for speed, knew full well that he could only run for so long. While before he was only running in short bursts to escape getting crushed by titanic sauropods, he was now using his full stamina to escape from getting eaten. His lungs ached and his legs started to burn.

"Can't you run any faster!?" Flit hollered at him after looking back at the incoming _Allosaurus_. The creature was already closing in on them, and was soon just a mere three feet away.

Just then, something golden broadsided against the hungry predator. Caius stopped and looked back; gasping for air after running at his fastest. The duo looked upon the sight and were welcomed by the arrival of their savior. Before them, their attacker was on the ground, tussling with tooth and claw against a creature much like him, except he had a lower jawline that was crooked.

Broken Jaw moved away from his sibling's attacks and managed to swipe his claws across his face. He then ran up to his guardians and gave them a nudge with his snout. Caius jumped forward and soon, they were running back towards the _Diplodocus_ fray side by side.

"BJ!" Flit laughed heartily.

"No time! Keep running! Follow the herd!"

The carnivore trio left the _Allosaurus lucasi_ stranger squirming on the ground. The hunter, who eventually found his footing, stood back up, and roared in anger at the fleeing opponents.

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If things with the _Diplodocus_ getting pestered by the _Allosaurus_ gang were bad, then what the _Supersaurus_ mother and child were going through was worse. All around, the predators kept on coming, focusing their attention on the pale-hued youngling with the handicap. An _Allosaurus_ , regardless of what species they were, were strategic in nature. Whether they analyzed the situation first or attacked head on, they would always have a plan in mind.

The hunt that was occurring was mostly the work of the Grey Skins, however, a couple of the Yellow Skins were piggy-backing off of them. The plan the Greys had was to disrupt the unity of the _Diplodocus_ herd so they could separate the weak from the healthy. In this case, they were mostly after the _Supersaurus_ youngling that had the broken leg.

But their mission was easier said than done as Clearwater's mother was not letting up on keeping the hunter's away from her son.

Woodstock bellowed as she whipped two _Allosaurus_ away with her stubbed tail. Though she was handicapped, she was still a force to be reckoned with. The grey lions of the Jurassic landed on their backs with thuds before rolling onto their stomachs; they hissed at the super lizard maliciously for her interference in their calculated plan.

Then she did the same to two more of them when they came in on the other side. Again, they were knocked away with a simple tail swipe.

But as Woodstock was dealing with the _Allosaurus_ coming in on both directions, the _Supersaurus_ failed to notice a couple of them coming from the front. Right when she looked away, her son was left in the open for two predators that could get a free shot.

"MOM!" he screamed and hobbled closer to her for protection. His fear of the Broken Jaw look-alikes made him hide under her in a futile attempt to conceal himself.

Woodstock looked ahead and saw the danger coming. "Hey! Buzz off skuzzbags!"

The _Supersaurus_ craned her neck quickly towards them and batted them away, landing several feet away from the sauropods. Unlike the other _Allosaurus_ , who all possessed grey hides and black vertical stripes, these two that came in had yellowish red skins and spines on their backs that Woodstock knew were Broken Jaw's kind. Woodstock was about to mistake one of them as Broken Jaw when she noticed neither of them had fractured lower jaws. The ex-alpha had come to realization that his kind was here and was joining in on the hunt.

The herd was fleeing about two hundred feet ahead. With the way clear of any predators, Woodstock snaked her neck to the left then towards her stomach; her eyes looking at her son with urgency. "Come on baby boy! Run! Get back with the herd!"

Going as fast as his small legs and broken right foot could take them, Clearwater rushed back to the herd. His mother was sticking close to him to make sure no predator laid a tooth or claw on her offspring.

As they rushed back, they were met by more opposition from the _Allosaurus_. Time and time again, Woodstock would beat them away with her neck and tail. One of the _Allosaurus fragilis_ was about to run up from the right to knock Clearwater down when the predator was intercepted by Woodstock due to a brutal push. The carnivore was knocked to the ground and, before it could recover, the _Supersaurus_ reared up and put her whole weight on the hunter. The crushed bones pierced the poor carnivore's internal organs, making an instant kill.

Just then, a roar sounded off from Woodstock's rear. Looking over, she saw three more grey _Allosaurus_ coming towards her. They brandished their teeth and claws, ready for the attack. The red, cobweb patterned sauropod quickly turned around and angled her body horizontally, blocking their way.

The _Allosaurus_ in the middle jumped up and landed onto her ribs, but she easily shook the predator off with a shove. Because he landed right next to one of her feet, she took the chance to lift her foot up and slam him on the neck, breaking it like a stick. The body jerked upward before becoming prone.

Another one, this time an elderly male from the battle cry he made, circled around her and readied for a frontal attack. However, he was stopped short when Woodstock beat her away with her neck.

When Woodstock was about to go for the third, she was horrified to see that the hunter was going after Clearwater, who was left out in the open. He may have been close to the rear of the _Diplodocus_ herd, but he would not make it to safety with the speed the adolescent _Allosaurus_ was going.

"Hey! Get back here!" Woodstock called to the carnivore.

Her outburst attracted Clearwater's attention. Looking back, he screamed when he noticed a grey-skinned _Allosaurus_ a mere few feet from him. The predator opened its maw, revealing sharp teeth that were connected by streams of saliva.

"MOM! HELP!"

 _ ***CRACK***_

The sudden appearance of a whip like tail above Clearwater saved him from becoming a mid-day meal. The _Allosaurus_ that was hit was knocked back several feet away. The creature landed on its side, prone, but not dead. Those yellow eyes became shadowed by grey eyelids.

Both mother and son focused their gaze from the tail to the owner of the appendage that stopped the attack. They were grateful to see an elderly _Diplodocus_ running towards them after angling his body for an attack. This one looked very much like the other members of the herd, except he had multiple battle scars on his body, presenting the many battles he went through in life.

"Go! I'll hold them off for as long as I can!" he told them, rushing passed the _Supersaurus_ family to meet the incoming _Allosaurus_ from the rear.

"Thanks my man! Come on kiddo, let's get back with the others," Woodstock thanked.

She caught up with her son and the two quickly caught up to the rest of the herd. Their savior in the back bellowed in fury as he battled against a small army of _Allosaurus_. Whiplashes, roars, and stomps echoed from the fight between titans that the herd left behind.

When Woodstock and Clearwater turned their heads away from the sauropod male, their eyes were met by a strange white light ahead of the herd. Seeing that the others were going towards it without hesitation, mother and child _Supersaurus_ did not question the origin of the strange hole, or why they were seeing a green landscape on the other side.

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A few minutes before…

Hazel and Flia took back to the skies. For the past several minutes, they had been battling one _Allosaurus_ after another. Although dive-bombs and dagger slashes did not cause significant damage to the two species of predators, they were able to buy the individual _Diplodocus_ enough time to escape. The other reason they did minor damage was because a certain human wanted to rescue as many _Allosaurus_ , both _fragilis_ and _lucasi_ , as she could.

The human quickly took her phone back out to check the time. When she did, she saw it was 1:35 PM. The last time she called Nigel was at 1:00 PM. Praying he gathered some volunteers and moved the Time Poles to the Valley Plains in Prehistoric Park, she prepared to unlock her phone so she could contact his status.

Coincidentally, before she could do so, a white text box appeared on her screen. One look at the message content and its sender eased her worry.

" **Portal's ready. Bring everyone through. ~Nigel"**

Hazel looked up to see where they were in terms of their position from the portal. Up ahead, at least fifty feet away, were two bright lights that were parallel to each other. The herd was not far behind and would reach the time point in a couple of minutes.

"Flia, we need to tell Charles we're going to open the portal! Everyone's ready back at the park!"

The _Pteranodon_ glanced back and gave her a quick nod. One sharp turn later, the duo was flying back towards the herd. In no time at all, they were flying right next to a fleeing Charles, who was desperately trying to lead his fleeing troupe in the direction of the portal the time travelers set up.

"Charles! We're going to create a large hole up ahead that will get you and your herd out of here!" Hazel warned him, attracting the sauropod's attention. "It's going to look like a bright light at first, but then it will clear up! Just get your herd through it and my people on the other side will take care of you!"

"Do what you can, you two!" the southern-speaking _Diplodocus_ replied fervently. "We're ready!"

The flyers took off back to where the portal was set up. Once they were within a significant distance, Hazel reached into her pocket to feel for a small remote. Feeling for the specific button she wanted, she pressed it hard with her thumb. The portal before them erupted to life, branching out like a huge puddle. A bright light emitted from the future technology, but that only obscured their vision for a few seconds.

Looking on the other side of the portal, the two could see their home; with its lush green fields and a cool, welcoming breeze.

The two then flew off to the side, not wanting to be in the way of a herd of stampeding, frantic sauropods. It was not long before the frightened herbivores were barging through the portal and into a strange, new world.

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Prehistoric Park…seconds later

One minute there was peace in the plains that bordered the Valley Plains and the Elephant grounds of Prehistoric Park. No one was occupying the vast space of greenery for the keepers of Prehistoric Park had to secure it for the new arrivals. There were even no other dinosaurs that were in the border, for they had been told by the alphas of the Valley Herd of the rescues that would come through the newly prepared portal shortly. The only ones who remained in that area were at least five jeeps filled with Prehistoric Park volunteers, who were equipped with stun guns and tranquilizers in case the newcomers caused too much trouble. Among them were Nigel Marven, Bob Arthur, and Marcus Rey.

Now Nigel did not exactly get the stationary Time Poles from the Holding Pens area, but instead got some spare mobile ones from the storage vault. Basically, he did the same thing Marcus did from their last rescue with Aladar and Neera's herd by rearranging the transmitters and making it receiver. Then, all he had to do was to take those Time Poles to the Valley Plains border and set them up. Doing so saved a lot of time and left him with enough opportunity to gather the much needed volunteers.

Marcus managed to do his tasks Nigel had assigned to him. With his ATV, he was able to make it to the Valley Plains to warn Aladar and Neera of the situation. Both alphas understood what was happening and told their herd to stay away from the lake shore nearest the border. They asked about what kind of rescues Hazel and Flia were bringing through the portal, but Marcus could not answer that because he did not know what they were. Regardless, the alphas went with his request and the lake in the Valley Plains was empty. But then going back to Titanosaur Treetops proved to be a bit of a challenge because he had forgotten it was in the other direction of where he was. Luckily, on his way there, he managed to find Bob, who was on his way to bring a wheelbarrow full of rocks the sauropods could gorge on to ease their digestion.

With Bob in tow, the two men were able to relay Nigel's message to the _Borealosaurus_ to get to the Valley Plains to calm the new rescues. Needless to say, the sauropods had not argument against that. Unfortunately, they were still on their way to the rendezvous point by the time Nigel got everything set up in the border.

Then, right when everything was ready for the rescue, the Time Poles erupted to life. A large portal opened up, and a herd of giant, frightened _Diplodocus_ came crashing through. Needless to say, the humans that were present were all freaking out over the sudden influx of giant herbivores.

"Holy shit!" Marcus cursed as he beheld the behemoths rumbling through.

"Oy vey…not again!" Bob seconded. He then turned to Nigel, who was sitting at the driver's seat of the jeep they were in. He was the least bit surprised, but was astonished by the rescue his protégé and her partner completed. "First you and Hazel bring in a herd of dinosaurs from prehistoric Africa, then you allow her to go back to the Jurassic to find a specific carnivore, and now she brings these guys in!? Where are we going to put them!?"

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, we've got to calm them all down!" Nigel told him. The man turned the keys of the jeep and revved the vehicle to life.

All five vehicles rocketed towards the frantic _Diplodocus_ , carrying several humans who were trying to get the attention of some very tall dinosaurs who were too frightened to comprehend what was happening. If any of the keepers were paying any attention, they would have noticed a certain golden-hued _Allosaurus_ , followed by a small _Ornitholestes_ , and a yellow-toned _Rhamphorhynchus_ that hung onto the small carnivore, escape the chaos and into one of the nearby forests.

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Broken Jaw panted, his chest hurt with every breath he took. It was like there were rocks in his lungs that were hindering his breathing. Not once in his whole life did he have to run for so long, or to escape from a danger so great as a stampeding group of Diplodocus.

When he and his guardians went through the strange light, they imagined the sun was messing with their visions due to the light refracting from the salt. They did not expect to be in a land lush with vegetation, where the heat was not scorching. The air smelled of lush forests and life. However, they had no time to admire the scenery as they had to escape the distraught herbivores.

It was a good thing they could take an opening between the chaos. As soon as they saw it, they bolted towards the tree line. Now, all three of them were under some dense brush, easing their lungs and looking down upon forest debris for the first time.

"You two…okay?" Broken Jaw coughed, looking back at his two, more vulnerable companions.

Caius, who had been running for longer than the _Allosaurus_ the whole time, could barely keep his head up. He coughed sporadically, trying to get some relief through rest. However, the grey and black hunter managed to give the larger carnivore a quick nod.

Flit, on the other hand, was in better shape than the other two. The yellow pterosaur had been holding onto the _Ornitholestes_ the whole time, and was merely shaking his head and body to get any salt bits that got onto his miniscule down. He too gave out coughs of his own, mainly due to some dust he accidentally swallowed. By the time he recovered, he hopped down from his perch on Caius' back and onto a terrain he had never set foot, or wing, on before. Leaves and grass.

"Whoa...where are we?" Flit said in wonder, looking around his surroundings. As an ocean-going pterosaur, he had seen tall trees before. But never ones that were like these. These trees had vines, leaves so green they nearly blocked out the sun, and trunks so indistinguishable from the ones he was used to seeing. What were those colorful shapes at the ends of some of those branches? Never before had he seen anything so colorful.

"I've never seen so much green before," Caius commented, observing their whereabouts. "The air here is not scorching, I can smell water in the distance, along with some...other scents of creatures I've never encountered."

The hook-beaked flyer turned his head curiously at his larger grey companion. "You think this is the place those huge lugs were traveling to?"

The bird robber peeked his head out of the opening they went through, the rest of his body sticking out at them. When he retracted, his features remained puzzled.

"I don't know. Our huge entourage seems overly anxious about this place. Whatever that light was we passed through, it's taken us to a new place entirely."

Flit flapped his wings in content, a smile creasing over his beak. "So, now what? I don't know about you guys, but this place seems better than where we were living at."

"Now don't jump to any conclusions. We still need to know more about this place. We should explore a bit first before we settle down."

His lecturing was cut short when the _Allosaurus_ that was with them let out a loud yawn. Like a dog, his tongue rolled out then back in, except it dangled a little before retracting due to the fractured jaw he had. Broken Jaw flopped onto his stomach, sending a few of the leaves flying upward a couple of inches.

He may not look it, but Broken Jaw was too enamored by the new scenery. He wanted to go out and explore. Never before had he seen so much green. The problem was, his encounter with his former family, traveling so much, and running from the stampede of the _Diplodocus_ had exhausted him. Broken Jaw made a mental note to start exploring once he got his strength back.

"Well you guys do that. I'm going to take a nap. All that running's made me tired," Broken Jaw said as he rested his head onto the forest floor.

He did little to stop his eyelids from falling. Minutes after Broken Jaw closed his eyes, quiet snores escaped the carnivore's throat.

Seeing no other way to object his decision, the two hunters looked out into the lush valley. Beyond some small hills, they could see the sauropod herd frantically running about in all directions. Their screaming permeated the air and was accompanied by the many bellows they made. Off to the opposite direction of them, Caius and Flit could faintly hear the sounds of similar bellows coming to them, which they wrongly perceived as an echo.

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Back in the Jurassic period…

"Keep going you two, and don't look back!" the human pressed on the last remaining members of the herd.

Hazel and Flia watched the mother and child _Supersaurus_ amble through the portal. For the last several minutes they were watching the grey, spine-backed sauropods rush through the window into the 21st century. The rushing of the giants along with the cries of terror they were giving off gave the two scouts memories of the last time a rescue like this happened. To them, this was just like when their own herd in the valley was escaping their own destruction at the hands of a flaming rock of fire from outer space. This time was exactly like that in terms of fleeing to safety. The only difference being the danger was more miniscule.

When Woodstock and Clearwater's bodies disappeared into the portal, Hazel let out a sigh of relief. Now that the gentle giants were safely in, the only thing they had left to do was to get as many _Allosaurus_ , both _fragilis_ and _lucasi_ , into the portal. All they had to do was to lure some of them to the Time Portal, but then that would mean Nigel and his volunteers at the park would have to deal with rounding them up.

" _Let them do that. We've got our own task to finish,"_ Hazel thought to push that consequence aside.

"That should be everyone," Flia said triumphantly. "Now we just need-."

The woman on her back cursed under her breath. As soon as she looked over to her right, she was met by a horrifying sight. At the sound of her inappropriate words, the _Pteranodon_ turned her head in that same direction. Fear and determination filled her features.

At least a hundred yards away was a lone _Diplodocus_ wildly moving around; his neck and tail waving around like sturdy whips in the wind. Surrounding him on all sides, attacking like a coordinated wolf pack, were several _Allosaurus fragilis_.

The duo sped off to the lone herbivore. The flyer flew as fast as she could, even though she had the combined weights of her human ward and her large bag of supplies on her back. She flew faster than she did when she escaped the Fireball, faster than they did when they flew through the canyon to rescue Kron, and perhaps even faster when they were saving Twitch from falling to his death during the recent breakout many months ago. The ground below them sped by in a blur.

As they flew, they noticed a few yellow-skinned _Allosaurus_ chasing after them. The flyers did not need to confide in themselves to fight them off. Flia swooped down and knocked a number away, stunning them temporarily. The hunters squirmed on the ground, badly bruised or contained a couple scratch marks on their hides.

Hazel took note of their downed attackers. While she'd rather they led them through the portal to get a number of them into the sanctuary, her mind was set on rescuing the lone _Diplodocus_ that was fending off a whole army of the grey-skinned hunters. Turning around and leading the others to the portal would only delay the victim's help. Or worse, if they returned, he would probably be dead. No, Hazel would not let that happen. She gave the carnivores one last look before returning her attention to the task at hand, making a mental note to come back for them later.

By the time they arrived, they already pulled themselves into the fray. Flia effortlessly took out three _Allosaurus_ with just a few dive-bombs and peck attacks. Hazel contributed by slashing at another three with her dagger when the _Pteranodon_ was flying over some she was unable to get a clear attack on.

The seventh one they took out with a joint attack; Flia swooped down to confuse the opponent but they swerved into a tight turn, as close as she could. This was a risky move, but it allowed Hazel to create a huge gash on its chest. The monster screamed in agony and collapsed onto the salt, small bits of blood staining the white earth.

The two of them cheered at their small victory, but it was short lived. In a split second, they were besieged by a roar behind them. The two had no time to process that information when they saw a set of sharp teeth coming straight at them.

Just when they were about to become Jurassic chow, a huge appendage slammed onto the carnivore. The _Allosaurus_ had been driven onto the ground, unconscious. The attack they had witnessed was comparable to what Charles did to save them from the _Marshosaurus_ attack when they met again days ago. Except this time, the alpha _Diplodocus_ was not here; they personally saw him pass through the portal into Prehistoric Park.

Hazel and Flia did not need to think too much to see that it was the remaining herbivore that had saved them. When they looked over, they saw he was riddled with many bite marks and scratches. Blood poured from his wounds, adding red streaks to the light grey skin.

"You two get out of here!" the warrior, apparently an elder due to his aged voice, told them. He batted another _Allosaurus_ away with his neck, sending it squirming on the ground.

"What!? But what about you!?" Flia cried out to him, just narrowly dodging another attack by flying higher.

"I'll keep them busy! Just make sure the others get out of here!" the elder said, not tearing his eyes away from the growling hunters around him.

"We're not leaving here without you! And the rest of the herd has gone on ahead!" Hazel said next with much determination.

"Hazel, there's too many of them! If we try to fight them now, they'll overcome us!" Flia cawed under the pressure.

Taking one quick look around, the sight of the thirty individual _Allosaurus_ surrounding them was enough to make the human shudder. Her partner was right; if they managed to take one out, another would come in and attack them. Even if they did take on a few at a time and were extremely careful, the chances of them escaping unscathed were slim to none. Not to mention she could clearly hear Flia breathing heavily; all of the physical activity of attacking the predators plus flying at top speed was making her tire. Under normal circumstances, she would not tire so easily had they been lax in their flight. She had been carrying Hazel and her bag for days when they first came to the Jurassic period. However, due to the heat and the amount of energy used today in their attacks, they could fall out of the sky from exhaustion.

"I'm afraid this time, you're goin' to have to leave me," the elder male grey longneck rumbled in submission. A cough escaped the creature's throat, which was then followed by several louder ones in succession. His breathing became wheezes as soon as he finished. "I'm not doin' so great myself...haven't been for days. My limbs are shaky and so's my breathin'. My head's poundin' on itself for a while."

He looked over at the time travelers with fierce content in his eyes. "I can't last much longer out here...but I've lived long enough. So if I'm goin' to die, I'd rather go down fightin'."

Red hot tears built up in Hazel's eyes. She shook her head madly; the hot drops fell from her face. "Stop saying that! Come with us! I've got some people who can help you! You can keep living!"

The sick sauropod chuckled weakly. "That's a mighty fine offer... but I've already made up my mind." He swished his tail in an intimidating manner, the end of the appendage almost touching the flyers, who quickly backed away to avoid the mock attack. "Now go! Before I send you packin' myself!"

"No! No we're not leaving you! Flia, we have to help him!" Hazel pounded her fist onto the saddle. Her breaths turned into shaky cries.

The _Pteranodon_ groaned from the slams she got on her back. The female Cretaceous scout stared at the sickly male. His eyes radiated sadness, yet they also appeared content. A fiery determination was also present. Flia had seen many things on her travels. When she saw something like that, she knew that whoever was making that face meant they were serious. They would fight to the end. Flia knew better than to go against his judgement. It hurt her to leave him, but it was what he wants.

"If that is your wish," she nodded in understanding. A cry of sorrow escaped the human that rode her. "Good luck, stranger."

"Tell Charles and the others not to grieve for me. It was an honor to travel alongside them. Tell them all…that Joel wishes good fortune in their future."

"I will. Goodbye," Flia flew away with grief on her shoulders.

Her human ward screamed for her to turn around and stay with the _Diplodocus_. As they flew towards the portal, they found that none of the _Allosaurus_ were following them; they were more preoccupied with the large prey they had subdued.

"Flia what are you doing!? Turn around! We're not leaving him behind!"

But Flia did not listen. The crested pterosaur flew on, despite Hazel's protests. The human cried and cried, practically begging her to turn back to help the herbivore. She pulled at the single leather handle strap in an effort to get her to change direction. But to no avail. The strap was there to hang on for support in-flight; it was not designed for steering.

Behind them, the roars of Joel the _Diplodocus_ and the shrieks of the _Allosaurus_ sounded off in a furious cacophony. The two of them disappeared through the ripple in time, leaving the Jurassic period for the present. The portal closed behind them at the orders of Flia over the commands of her human ward.

The duo flew over the rampaging herd of _Diplodocus_ and the two _Supersaurus_. Neither of them paid any attention to the commotion they were making. Driving around the perimeter of the chaos were Nigel and the rest of the volunteers he rounded up. On and off, they sent shouts at the sauropods, telling them to stop. Some of the employees fired minor electric bolts from the stun guns at the giants' feet, causing them to change direction.

Going over one of the larger hills, they made out the huge forms of the _Borealosaurus_ coming from within the park. Common sense told them they were called over to help quell the chaos that ensued behind them. Yin and her Flock rushed towards the border of the Elephant Grounds and the Valley Plains as quickly as their huge girths could.

But Flia paid no mind to them. She nimbly set herself down on one of the hills that overlooked that part of the valley. Her human friend dismounted and faced her; her features red with anger and tears streamed from her face.

"What the hell was that!?" Hazel waved her arms in frustration. "Why'd you retreat?"

"I had to Hazel!" the flyer defended. "It was too dangerous! There were too many of those things around! They would have killed us with their numbers!"

"Yeah, but you took on a pack of _Velociraptors_ and won!" Hazel protested, remembering the first time they met many months ago.

"That was different! And I only did so to save you!"

The Asian balled her hands into fists. Her teeth clenched hard, up to the point where her teeth looked like they might crack. A fierce rage burned in her irises. "We could have saved that _Diplodocus_ AND gotten a huge pack of _Allosaurus_! It was a prehistoric jackpot!"

Flia shook her head in frustration. Honestly, how can this girl be so dense? "You're not getting the point! If we remained there any longer, we would have suffered the same fate as that poor elder! Are you willing to throw away your own life just to accomplish something that would be in vain? Help that elder or not, he was dead to begin with. He was sick and would eventually die."

"Then we could have brought him back here so the vets could take care of him!" she yelled at her, folding her arms.

"Hazel stop being stubborn! Don't you remember what we discussed days ago? When we saw Broken Jaw get severely injured by Woodstock, we had to leave him behind because of the fear of his mother killing us for being present at the attack! She would have blamed us had we not escaped! There was nothing we could do for him. It's the same right now."

Of course, Hazel remembered that clearly. The sight of Broken Jaw's limp form and a pool of blood beneath his head burned in her mind. Woodstock and her father cheering for that victory was like an army of fire ants raging in her stomach. Being forced to leave that poor youngling to escape the rage of his mother reminded Hazel of how cruel the world could be. Not long after, she was in a similar situation when the _Allosaurus_ _fragilis_ named Alyssa was being rescued from a mud bank, all while her friends fended off a pack of _Ceratosaurus_. Lethe the _Parasaurolophus_ was about to end the life of a young _Ceratosaurus_ when Hazel stopped her. This caused a rift between her and her friends, which they made amends later on when she promised she would adjust to the idea that not everyone would deviate from Darwinism immediately.

Now it was happening again. They left Joel behind at the mercy of those predators…and they were unable to rescue one single _Allosaurus_.

"I thought you said you were against "survival of the fittest"! What, are you supporting it now?" Hazel spat in defiance.

"No! And you're still not accepting the views of others!"

The woman cursed under her breath. She was accepting the thinking of others! How dare she think she was not! "What the hell!? No! The one here who's not thinking straight is you!"

With a scream of exasperation, Hazel stormed off in the general direction of the park. Flia hobbled to where she once was and screamed at her loudest.

"Hazel! Get back here! We're not finished!" went the _Pteranodon_ as if she were a mother scolding her child.

Hazel glanced back and shot her a malicious glare. "Yes we are! Butt out!"

Neither of them exchanged protests after that. The only thing that resulted between the two of them was the scorn they felt from each other and the faint sobs of the retreating Hazel. Flia sighed and turned around, now gazing at the rest of the Diplodocus herd. Yin and her Flock were now among them, busily corralling their Jurassic cousins into one group. She could hear from afar the _Borealosaurus_ leader reassuring their longer relatives they were in no danger.

The victory of rescuing Charles and his herd did nothing to calm the tempest of emotions within the _Pteranodon_.

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"Get up, boy. We got ourselves a kill."

The young _Allosaurus_ novice hunter groaned. His eyes fluttered, slowly revealing his yellow, predatory eyes. His vision was blurry at first; all he could see was a bright light followed by a looming figure over him. By the time they readjusted, he found himself looking up at an individual like him. The only difference was he was bigger and sounded older.

"Takomo?" he said groggily.

He slowly got up and looked around. He was surprised to see that there were no _Diplodocus_ around him. The others of his kind were nowhere to be found. What had happened while he was out? How long was he out?

The only things he could remember were running through the herd, and then making it to the _Supersaurus_ youngling. After that, something large batted him away. He knew no more after that.

"Wh-where's-?" the adolescent frantically looked around for any sign of the others or where the prey was. He feared he had been left behind or the herd had moved on.

"Went through some light bit of a ways from here," Takomo finished for him, confirming his fears of the loss of their prospects. "Vanished without a trace. Not that it matters now."

He got up on his feet. His face was riddled with shock. "But...but how?"

The elder hunter shrugged his arms and walked on. "Well, that's what I saw. Must be the heat though. The Salt Plains are known to mess with someone's mind. Now come on, let's get our share of the kill before it's all gone."

The novice watched Takomo walk away. Looking passed his diminishing form, he noticed that the rest of his kind were surrounding a large behemoth on all sides. The giant moved around madly, the tail and neck swaying in the wind like stiff appendages. It was then he understood what was happening. While he was out, the rest of the gang had managed to separate one of the _Diplodocus_ from the herd. Judging from the undulating motion of the neck and the horrid gasps he could hear from far away, this was the one that was sickly.

While this was no _Supersaurus_ youngling, this adult sauropod would support him for the next several weeks.

He dashed ahead, catching up to the scarred _Allosaurus_. It was not long until they too were part of the crowd that surrounded the Diplodocus. The roars and the commotion going on around them grew wilder by the minute. The two of them watched as members of their own kind attacked their prey simultaneously. Some of them were knocked away, leaving with minor injuries. Others were knocked out cold.

But their attacks were doing their work. More and more wounds appeared on his skin. Large puddles of blood formed on the salty ground. Soon, he would die from exhaustion, if not from the heat.

"Come on…I can still take you!" Joel panted; his eyes boring dirtily into the souls of the monsters that surrounded him. "You're bugs compared to me!"

The adolescent _Allosaurus_ looked at Takomo, expecting orders due to his experience. "He doesn't look easy to kill. What do we do?"

Takomo glanced at him and gave him a toothy grin. "Now…we wait."

And wait they did. Two hours passed by with gradual progress. The large gang of predators attacked the herbivore; some individually and others in small groups, all in the effort to tire him out. Takomo and his young protégé watched them go about their strategy. While they wanted to help in the fight to bring this giant down, they had their reasons to stay out of the way. For one thing, Takomo would rather just sit back and observe for an opening for him. He would rather attack only when it seemed "right", when the _Diplodocus_ was at his lowest point and he could use a more devastating attack, such as a bite to the neck. The other thing was his trainee; he was inexperienced with bringing down prey this size. He stayed back to observe how to take down a giant.

The only thing the two of them, and their kind, found to be annoying were the Yellow Skins that were among them. They laughed and cackled as their distant cousins were brought down one by one by their "stupid tactics". "Lazy bums" was what Takomo grumbled one time. They stayed back to watch their species rivals get tortured by their prey. They were not even contributing in bringing this behemoth down! This angered the adolescent hunter greatly.

But all that changed. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the _Diplodocus_ was brought down to his knees. The heat and exhaustion had taken their toll on him. He let out a pained groan and collapsed on his side, the earth shaking at his sudden fall.

The young predator smiled. At last, he was down. He could finally have a proper meal, a FEAST at that.

His victory was short lived. Right when he was about to dart forward to claim part of his prize, yellow blurs zoomed up to the weakened prey. He watched in anger as the Yellow Skins ruthlessly attacked the sauropod on all sides before each of them put in the killing blow. Then, they dug their jaws into the body, gorging on their feast.

"Hey! We were that tired him out!" he roared furiously. He stomped the ground in the midst of his tantrum. Those around him watched in equal disapproval, but stayed back knowing better. "We should be the ones to get the first meal! They're muscling in on our spoils!"

"Let it go kid," Takomo said, hiding his disappointment in the situation. "Remember, out here, it's every Allo for themselves, especially when it comes to the Yellow Skins. Just wait for them to leave."

Just then, a scrap of meat from the huge carcass flew from one of the entrails of the _Diplodocus_. The two of them returned their attention and found the sizeable catch lying a few feet from them. It turns out that one of the Yellow Skins pulled a little too hard on one portion and caused parts of his meal to fly out.

The budding hunter's patience wore thin. His stomach growled like a creature moaning. The pangs of hunger ate at him incessantly. The Yellow Skins were busy eating away at the large carcass. No one else was coming for it. The least he could do was have a small taste.

He licked his teeth and slowly approached the scrap. Now, for the first time today, he was going to eat some fresh _Diplodocus_. He opened his jaw and leaned forward.

 _ ***Thump***_

His procession was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a three-toed foot in front of him. The youngster jerked up. He was almost terrified to be staring into the face of one of the Yellow Skins. The blood on his jaw dripped down like water. The burning eyes showed off his sadistic nature, coupled with a cackle that escaped his maw.

"Sorry 'Greyhead'," the Yellow Skin, identified as a young male with a maniacal tone, cackled. "This one's mine."

The _fragilis_ adolescent stood up straight, defiance shining brightly in his features. "Uh no! I saw it first! It belongs to me!"

The intruder cackled again, this time louder. His outburst had already attracted the attention of his other siblings…and the other Grey Skins who wisely stayed out of the way. "I don't think your head's on right. Because I was the one that saw it go here. Now, I'm in a good mood right now so you better not spoil it by trying to steal this little scrap. Now buzz off before I make you the second course!"

The youngster snorted in indignation. There was no way he was backing off now. He worked hard to get this piece of meat, even if this was his first time and he got hit around a lot. "No. I'm not leaving. We exhausted out this leaf eater while your kind stood by and watched. We did all the work. Therefore, we are the ones who get first dibs, not you!"

"Ooh! Look at you! Lookin' so tough!" the _lucasi_ hunter mocked him, feigning astonishment. "Well, let me tell you this greyhead. I don't think you know who you're dealin' with here. Now I'm going to tell you this only once. If you want to stay in one piece, you go and stand right there while we get our fill."

The adolescent Grey Skin stood by, his face unchanged. A moment passed by with nothing happening. His rival stood there, waiting for an answer, but he looked on at him as if he were some other meal.

"The answer is still no," he replied calmly with dignity. "I'm not leaving until you back off."

The Yellow Skin sighed and then chuckled insanely. "Welp...I tried."

What happened next happened so fast. For a moment, the Yellow Skin maniac was about to snap his jaws around his neck. The novice flinched, expecting the feel of teeth digging into his skin. He was about to grab onto him and break his neck.

But that never came. Instead, something grey broadsided the Yellow Skin right when he was about to be brought down. He blinked several times and found that he was witnessing something he had never seen before.

In a tussle of claws, bites, roars, and scratches were the Yellow Skin intruder and another Grey Skin. He was about to dismiss him as another Grey Skin not worth his time when he saw something on the individual's body. The larger one looked much like him, except slightly more haggard and with one main factor: a huge faint scar that ran over his ribs.

Takomo had stepped in to save him.

The youngster backed off, not wanting to get involved in this fight. He watched the two of them exchange blows before switching to bashing their bodies against each other. The two went at it for the next several minutes. The other _Allosaurus_ , both Yellow and Grey, looked on as the fight went on. They fought each other, tooth and nail, all the while trying to sink their teeth into each other's necks.

Then, in one quick movement, Takomo jumped onto the Yellow Skin. He dug his feet talons into his hide and drew down. The gashes opened up his stomach, spilling his guts. The Yellow Skin cried out in agony, but not before performing his last act of vengeance.

The Yellow Skin bit onto Takomo's throat…and pulled a piece of flesh from him. That part of his neck gushed out in blood. Bits of his flesh dangled out. A thin, tube-like protrusion shook around like a leaf. Takomo gasped, but by doing so, caused squirts of blood to gush out. The elder collapsed on the ground, right next to the Yellow Skin that immediately died from his wounds.

Takomo gagged, being unable to breathe. In a short minute, he too fell still.

Silence fell onto the combined tribes. Neither of them expected this sort of outcome to happen. But that silence did not last long. The Grey Skins looked on in shock…while their distant relatives started cackling away.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Senji got his butt handed to him by an old guy! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" one Yellow Skin that stood on the Diplodocus carcass laughed maniacally.

"That's what he gets for being so stupid!" Another went off in a more insulting tone.

The next one, a female, scoffed. "I'm glad he's gone! He was annoying! Always stealing my share..."

As they went on, the adolescent predator watched them in fury. While he did not know Takomo for very long, the fact that they were insulting both he and their pack member for dying this was just felt disgusting. True, if one of their own dies, there would be no reason to grieve. The fact that they are laughing it off was enough to make him want to berate them. Takomo may have been just a stranger, but he went out of his way to keep him out of trouble. He looked out for him, and taught him how to survive in this part of the Salt Plains.

He was like a guardian to him.

The youngster looked down at the corpse of the elder. A sense of sadness overwhelmed him. Takomo protected him even though there really was no reason to. He was a fool, challenging that Yellow Skin to a fight when there was no need to. And now, because of him, he caused the death of an old warrior.

"Alekanekelo," he muttered his true name to Takomo, the name he never got to tell him when he was alive. He remembered the promise they made before they started the hunt. It was only fitting to keep his end of it to uphold his honor. "My name is Alekanekelo."

 _Darksage: Tada! Well that was epic!_

 _Marc: Epic is an understatement._

 _Darksage: So, you guys probably noticed we added a few things to the story, like some new characters and the new lore. Red Sand is a pretty tough girl and living in the Salt Plains has made her like that. We kind of based her off Raven Branwen in terms of personality. Yeah, we know, RWBY is hitting us hard. Then there's Takomo, who we decided would be a perfect tutor for our young budding warrior Alekanekelo and somehow played as a father figure to him, even though he didn't last long. For him, we had Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy on our minds._

 _Marc: Someone's been watching a little too much Marvel…_

 _Darksage: What was that?_

 _Marc: Nothing. As for the Grey Skin and Yellow Skin lore, we loosely based that off geologic speciation and biological dispersal. Then we personalized it a bit._

 _Darksage: And Alekanekelo is Hawaiian for "protector". That guy certainly lived up to his namesake in this story._

 _Marc: Chapter 13 is currently under works and we'll have that up soon…so stay tuned._

 _Darksage: We hope you guys enjoyed this one! See you on the next chapter!_


	13. Kindred Spirits

Prehistoric Park…the next day

After the sudden rescue of the _Diplodocus_ and the _Supersaurus_ from yesterday, activity in the park was on the rise once more. Yin and her Flock had been busily acquainting Charles and his herd to their new surroundings; a number of which began to roam around to get used to the area. Though most of them were still grieving over the loss of Joel, who fought valiantly against the _Allosaurus_ in the Salt Plains to buy them time to escape, they knew that his time had come and did their best to move onwards with their lives. Nigel, who sensed the distress they were going through, did his best to keep their spirits up. He even made it a priority to help out with any explanations they had regarding the recent events. This, in this case, was a lot.

As expected, the sauropods seemed a bit uneasy at first about living in an area so far off from their time period...and had predators living in the valley. However, Nigel and Yin quickly quelled their apprehension and explained that most of the predators in the park were quite friendly, if not tolerant, of their presence. The only exceptions included Diablo the _Carnotaurus_ and Rascal the _Troodon_. As the herd went through an impromptu tour of the place, hosted by Nigel and Bob, they were made aware of the Residents living in the valley. All apprehension of Prehistoric Park melted away within a couple of hours and the giants soon settled in their new surroundings.

The excitement of having new Residents in the park may have made everyone's day, but not all of the newcomers were too content with being in a new valley, specifically to a couple of _Supersaurus_ that tagged along with the _Diplodocus_.

Woodstock and Clearwater by no means had other things on their mind. The fascination of the 21st century paled in comparison to what they were facing now. Not long after they went through the portal, they were pulled to the side by the humans that introduced themselves as veterinarians. The reason why was because the keepers that were with Nigel that helped in calming the other sauropods were concerned about the appearance of Clearwater's leg. They radioed Suzanne McNabb about it and thus got the rest of the vets on the scene. All introductions aside, she brought them over to the infirmary on their first day and managed to perform an X-ray of Clearwater's leg for analysis. Because a _Supersaurus_ youngling was too large for a CAT scan, the vets had to resort to other means. Clearwater had to lie down with his upper leg covered by lead aprons just so they could get a scan of him. Then he had to raise his leg while the aprons were strapped onto him so they could get a couple more pictures. Poor Clearwater had to duck his head the entire time he was in the operation room in the Vet's Surgery. Thankfully, he didn't break anything.

Then Suzanne and her team would analyze the pictures for any other obstructions and then would bring the two back to explain their findings. This was cut short due to the number of Residents that came in, and had to be put off for the next day. But the reassurance the veterinarian gave them on healing Clearwater's leg was enough to bring them hope.

The idea that Clearwater may be able to walk properly again was enough to distract them from their new surroundings. They were too preoccupied to join the _Diplodocus_ in their tour for today due to their awaited meeting with Suzanne. Woodstock promised they would meet later in the day afterwards, but Charles sensed it would depend on the news the humans gave them.

Right now, they sat in the middle of the large infirmary, completely oblivious to the bustling of employees around them. They stared at the woman with dark hair before them, who was looking at dark-colored leaves with white lines in intricate patterns. To a medical professional, or anyone who is educated in anatomy, Suzanne was looking at an X-ray of Clearwater's leg. The pictures, which were decreased in size in order to fit into the desired size of a normal X-ray photo, were propped up against a large backlit screen. His foot was bent inwards at a gruesome angle, with the ball of his ankle hitting the ground. The picture next to it was of his foot raised; while better to look at, Suzanne needed it for comparison.

"Hm... Okay...the damage is pretty complex. There doesn't seem to be any skeletal overgrowth on the ankle. Recovery may take a while..." Suzanne muttered while studying the interesting anatomy of Clearwater's broken leg. While she is a trained professional in her field and had heard of some pretty gruesome cases during her time of study, never once had she come across something like this.

"Hey uh...Suzanne is it? What are you talking about there? Everything okay?"

The vet broke out of her trance with the sound of that hippie dialect. Turning face, she saw that her sauropod patient and his mother were watching her intently, and had been doing so for several minutes.

"Yes, everything's fine," she gave them a contempt smile. "I'm just looking over your son's leg anatomy for any other complications."

Woodstock perked her head to the side, unfamiliar with what kind of complications she would be referring to. "Complications? What do you mean? I'm not really getting you, little lady."

"I'm referring to any bones out of place, fractures, overgrowths, and anything else that is broken. Some of Clearwater's leg bones have healed, though not properly. I'll spare you the details, but the damage here is pretty complex," Suzanne frowned, setting an air of depression on the former alpha. "It's going to be difficult to fix this one..."

"I see...," the crimson and white sauropod choked back a sob. She looked down at her son and gently nudged him on his snout. Water started to billow in her eyes at the thought of her only child never being able to frolic again.

"What is she talking about, Mom?" Clearwater asked, tears starting to form in his eyes as well. "Is she saying my leg's never getting better?"

"Sweetie…" she sighed with a heavy heart. "I don't think you'll be able to walk like you used to again."

The youngling gasped and started to cry. He craned his neck under hers for an embrace. The news that the damage was irreparable struck them like a lightning bolt to a tree. It was under poor circumstances that this came to pass. Their hope of having a normal life again was dashed by the cruel hand of fate.

Woodstock's tail may be rewrapped in cleaner bandages and was still in the process of regrowth, but this situation had no hope at all. Clearwater had been walking on his ankle for a while. Both of them cried for their plight, wishing things had not been the way they had been. They wished they could turn back the clock, back to when Clearwater and his father were surrounded by those predators. Yet, while their knowledge of time travel was akin to that of a newborn's, they had the idea that there was no way it could happen.

Suzanne sensed their distress. She knew full well what it was like for those close to you to have something that was incurable. But unlike the mother and child, she was not as upset as they were. In fact, she was attempting to look at this with a grain of salt.

"Hold on, hold on," she pulled their attention back onto herself. "There is no need to be sad here. There's nothing to worry about."

Woodstock looked at her with suspicion. An eye ridge rose to show her inquisitiveness. "Dudette, you said that my boy's leg is difficult to heal. From what I heard, you're saying he'll never walk properly again."

"Yes, I said Clearwater's leg damage is complex and it will be difficult to fix," she then smiled in an uplifting manner. "But I didn't say the damage is impossible to repair."

Suzanne's mention of it not being impossible prompted the female former alpha to bring her head closer to hers. She was within inches of the human's form, her breath wafting her like a fan set on high. The heat she radiated off was tremendous. Yet the veterinarian kept her cool and allowed her to react the way she needed to.

"Wait, you mean-," she said, her hopes rising once again.

"Yes Woodstock," the vet smirked and patted her on the snout. "Clearwater's broken leg is one of the most complex cases we've gotten, and will probably be our most challenging yet. But fear not, healing his leg is entirely possible. With our healing techniques, he'll be able to walk like he used to, and in time, he can run again," she told her using the simplest terms in her medical knowledge.

The _Supersaurus_ grinned then nudged her in excitement. "For real? Oh thank you, little missy! THANK YOU!" she laughed, causing the vet to do so in return. She nearly lost her footing by the unexpected push, but regained herself.

Woodstock diverted her attention to her son, who was showing clear confusion on his features. The tears in his eyes lessened at the sound of his mother's joyful cry. "You hear that kiddo!? Suzy and her buddies are going to fix you right up! You're not going to worry about that limp for long!"

Clearwater gasped, his breath was nearly held in his lungs. "So I'll be walking on my foot soon? I'll never lag behind again?"

"Yes!" she squealed. Her reaction had resulted in her craning her neck over him again, bringing him back into an embrace. He returned the gesture fortuitously. "This future place rocks!"

The mother and son locked themselves in their embrace. Their cheerful demeanor had no doubt attracted some attention from the employees around them. Those who had listened in to their conversation with Suzanne no doubt had a couple of tears in their eyes. Some of them smiled at the event; happy endings did not happen in Prehistoric Park every day. Others who had just arrived were wondering about what was happening and convened with the employees around them to get updated on the news.

Suzanne, who was the main witness, could not help but shed some happy tears. Times like these were one of the reasons why she wanted to become a veterinarian. Before she could not understand animals, she could sense their joy when they overcome medical obstacles or are reunited with loved ones. The woman blinked back a few more tears, trying to look as professional as possible.

It took several tries to wipe her face clean and to stop the water from falling, but she finally did it. When she was normal once more, she saw the two sauropods break off from their embrace, and face her again. Suzanne schooled her features to make herself as presentable as possible.

"You know, when I first met those dudettes, Hazel and Flia, my daddy thought they were crazy when they said they came from the future," Woodstock said, admitting her doubts on the young time traveler and her companion when they first met. "He told me they were a bit loony and that I needed to indulge them in their fantasy, otherwise I'd hurt their feelings. Man, imagine the look on my face when we arrived here! Turns out I was the looney one!"

Both women let out a good laugh at this. Suzanne could understand Woodstock's situation, for she was in one herself not too long ago. Back when she agreed to help Nigel with setting up Prehistoric Park, she thought he was crazy for building a place that was meant to house prehistoric animals. She did not believe anything he said about him and Hazel's father making the Time Poles to allow time travel. Of course, being good friends with him and not wanting to hurt his feelings, she went along with it, hoping what he said about Prehistoric Park was just a joke and was a place meant to act as a sanctuary with modern day animals while having monuments that related to prehistory. Her views on the whole place drastically changed when he took her, Bob, and Marcus back to Early Cretaceous Patagonia to see a herd of migrating _Argentinosaurus_. She nearly had a heart attack seeing those giant herbivores lumbering passed her. Bob was too stunned with awe to even speak to any of them, while poor Marcus fainted on the spot.

Now granted Nigel did not attempt to rescue the herd for Prehistoric Park because they were unprepared for their rescue; there was no place ready for them just yet and they did not have a plan ready for such an event. But the sight of the Time Poles in use along with the giant herd of sauropods was enough to convince her and her other colleagues that Nigel was serious about his work. From then on, Suzanne never faltered in her work, for her expertise helped to make this place possible.

"Well, I can't blame you. I'd probably have thought the same thing if I were in your shoes," she shrugged her shoulders while letting out the last of her amusement.

"So, when are you going to start fixing him?" the mother asked her.

"Well, we don't have the necessary supplies needed to put his foot back into place," she placed her hands on her hips. "My people and I will need to gather them. Preparation will probably take at most several days. But once we do have them, we'll begin with our operation to apply those objects onto Clearwater's leg."

Woodstock raised a brow at her. She did not know what she was referring to, but anyone from the 21st century would know that she was talking about putting a cast on Clearwater's leg. "Wait, what exactly are you going to be putting on him?"

"Due to the damage that the predator he was faced with in the past did to him, we're going to have to use special rods, bolts, and plates to put into his leg for support. Er...special sticks, hard leaves, and rocks made for medical use I mean. Then we have a special covering we'll put on his leg to fix the foot into place. He'll have those on for a long time, possibly several months to about a year, but the recovery will work," she explained simply.

"Well, we both don't really care what you do," the sauropod glanced at her son with a loving look then back at the human. "As long as my baby is happy, then I'm happy."

"I'm glad to hear that," Suzanne acknowledged. Turning her attention to Clearwater, she cleared her throat and started to speak to him in a way that a young child would understand. "Now until we get everything we need, we're going to put on a temporary cast on your leg to try to get your bones into place."

Clearwater frowned, having never heard of that before. "A cast?"

The woman giggled softly, loving the fact that she was interacting with a child that was a lot bigger than her. "It's a special covering that's hard as a rock. It's temporary until we put the real item on. Once it's on, I want you to avoid putting too much strain on it. Don't try to run either because that will make the condition worse. If you need to walk, do so with the tips of your foot. Then of course, keep your strength up, get plenty of rest, and everything else."

"Okay. No problem. Anything to get rid of this limp," the young boy nodded eagerly.

"Good. Now wait here," she told them and started to back away to head to the outside. "I'm going to get the rest of my people ready so we can get your cast on."

The Jurassic gentle giants watched her go, witnessing her pull out a large rectangular black rock from her side. They watched her talk into it, thus immediately became marveled by the item. This was soon followed by them observing their surroundings more clearly. For the first time since they arrived in Prehistoric Park, they were able to fully take in where they were. The humans bustling around, the appearance of the metal cave they were in, the items that they could not make heads or tails of, the smells of different foods and creatures in the area, it was all a lot to take in.

Both mother and child looked at each other in content. Though this was not the Salt Plains, the fact that they were alive and was together was enough for them. There was hope for them in this place.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile…nearby the new _Allosaurus_ Enclosure

Broken Jaw's day was an interesting one. For most of the morning going into the afternoon, he had been exploring around Prehistoric Park. Already, he noted that there were so many creatures here living in this vast expanse of space. Some of them he recognized, specifically the _Diplodocus_ herd and the _Supersaurus_ family, whom he observed from a distance going into a large metal cave. He did note that Hazel's species, humans he recalled from Hazel's introduction of herself days ago, were one of the dominant forms here. Originally, he went out to see if he could get a decent meal, but Caius advised against it until they learned more about where they were. They were in unknown territory, and hunting straight on could have disastrous results. Caius and Flit left to go on their own tour, and discern which food they could bring back to their little hideaway they were originally in.

The day started out as normal; him sneaking around getting the feel of the location and occasionally getting a drink at one of the nearby waterways, without anyone spotting him of course. He was overall amazed by the valley he was in. Never before had he been in a land filled with so much green and all the water anyone could want. This place was nothing compared to the Salt Plains, or even the Water Hole he grew up in. Everyone there had to survive off of any available greenery and the Water Hole was the only source of water anyone had for miles, unless they managed to find a small puddle in the outskirts out of luck. The air was fresh and clean, unlike the conditions of the Salt Plains where one had to tolerate the scorching heat and the cool nights.

Then the day started to get a bit interesting. During his tour, he tried to go around as discreetly as possible. Unfortunately, he was occasionally spotted by the humans in the valley. Surprisingly, they did not run from the sight of him, though they were a bit wary. Broken Jaw could have easily eaten one of them to curb his increasing hunger, but he stopped after considering Caius' words before they left. Yes, he was forbidden from hunting in the valley until they knew exactly what they were dealing with, but these were part of Hazel's kind, and he felt he owed a bit of gratitude to her and her friend for helping save him and his family, thus sparing the humans. He got some odd questions such as what he was doing outside his enclosure, which he responded he was going on a tour of his own, where his tour guide was and who was with him, which he said he was going off by himself before he met up with his friends, and whether he needed help or not. Again, he told them he did not need any. What he did notice was they hand their hands gripping on some odd "sticks" at their front. Broken Jaw told them not to worry and thanked them for their assistance, albeit in a gruff manner and they did not really do much of a thing. Even more surprising was they took his words in stride and welcomed him to "Prehistoric Park"…whatever that meant.

True, he was intrigued by everything in the valley, ranging from the Residents, especially the ones that looked similar to him and the herbivores he had never seen before. He was interested by the human contraptions that were around him, up to the point that his curiosity ended up breaking one of the ATVs because he thought it was a potential meal. It was a good thing his jaw was more or less unharmed, but the same could not be said for the ATV. But now, he was more focused on his stomach, which had been dogging him for most of the day.

It took some time, but he found a couple potential targets. The others he came across were too heavily guarded by adults that he had no knowledge of. The ones he found had been wandering through the area, conversing with the other Residents. From what he could tell, they were younglings, but they were creatures he had not seen before. Two of them seemed to be of the same species and looked like one of the species that dominated this valley. They walked on all fours, had slender snouts, and walked on their three digits for their arms while their legs looked more or less the same thing. Their hands seemed to be flat, yet they possessed something sharp on the sides. One of them, which seemed to be the elder of the two due to the height, had blue-green skin, while the other had light purple skin.

The other two younglings were even more mind-boggling. The largest of the group had a mix of teal and beige along the back. That back was a bit raised, looking like there was almost a sail. The head had a long appendage that curved into a blunt end with a bit of skin hanging beneath it. The snout was round, yet somewhat flat. Like the two "spike-arms", this one walked on all fours, but lacked the spike of the other two. The other youngling was the oddball of the bunch. This one was on all fours, had beige and red skin, and the head was flattened like a strip of bark. Small horns jutted from the top and the snout ended in a hard knob, which had its own tiny horns at the end.

What kind of creatures they were, Broken Jaw had no idea. But what he did know was that they were young and potential targets. He could easily take one of them down with an ambush attack. If he was stealthy enough, he could get one of them without attracting too much attention.

Well, this was easier said than done. When he rounded a corner of one of the buildings, his eyes fell upon a creature that was even more astonishing than the odd younglings. This being was huge, so large that he had to look up just to meet its eyes…if he were standing in front of it. Its body was covered in brown, matted fur. The snout was an unusual one; it was long and flexible, which ended in a flat portion with two large slits. The head had a bit of a dome to it and its teeth horns were among the biggest things he had ever seen; even bigger than the spikes of a _Stegosaurus_. The tail, though vaguely seen, ended in a bushy round tip with that same type of fur.

Whatever this "thing" was, it took a strange interest in the younglings. They exchanged words in conversation before they left towards the same direction in the west. Curiosity not abated, Broken Jaw followed them.

He followed them for the next several minutes. The conversations he overheard ranged from someone named Zini showing off some new monkey moves and upsetting another named Yar when he accidentally sprayed mud in his face while he was napping, holding a hold-your-breath contest at the lake, teaching the _Protoceratops_ sisters some new words, and someone named Irwin doing a new trick with getting his lunch that apparently made the younglings so excited. All of which seemed uninteresting to Broken Jaw. No, he was more interested in getting one of them as a snack, but there was a complication in his plan.

And that complication was that huge hairball that walked alongside the younglings. If he ambushed them now, that creature, a female due to how she spoke, could ram him with those huge horns of hers. After that recent battle with that _Torvosaurus_ at the Water Hole and his recent adventure in the Salt Plains, Broken Jaw felt a little fatigued from doing anything strenuous. Going after them now would result in him getting seriously hurt, or worse, dead. Instead, he held back to observe them, which was the same thing he did with Clearwater in the past.

His boredom was sated when the group stood in front of a particular area. This area was at the very edge of this new world, just a considerable distance away from one of the forest edges in the park. By Broken Jaw's observation, this one was just passed the main area where the humans liked to gather. It was pretty isolated, but he could sense the other areas the Residents here lived in, such as the smell of a small body of water and the smell of those odd creatures with the huge claws.

Much like the other places he observed, this one had high wooden posts that served as a barrier to those on the outside. Within the area was a large living space, complete with a thin leafy plain, a large pond, and an adjacent wooded area with clusters of cycads that he was accustomed to seeing in the Water Hole he came from, along with some other trees he had never seen before. The enclosure was large, enough to fit in at least five of him and still have enough space to spare. However, there was one thing that was off about it; the same type of wood that separated the enclosure down the middle, which ran through the pond and the forest.

Why this enclosure was built the way it was confounded him. Nevertheless, he crouched behind one of the contraptions that the humans left behind. A large blue leaf covered the whole thing, and Broken Jaw made do by huddling his body with it as best as he could.

"So this is the new Resident huh? She sure looks like a tough one," the youngling, which the _Allosaurus_ deduced as the one with blue-green scales and spiked paws, said with amazement.

"Yeah! I heard she was really sick when Hazel, Flia, your dad, Charon's mom, Naomi, Embo, and my dad rescued her," a squeaky, nasal infested individual honked. Peeking from the front of the jeep, Broken Jaw saw that it came from the one with the knob on his nose. "My dad told me not to go near her because he thinks she could turn on us, but your folks said otherwise. Still, I wouldn't want to get into a fight with her...not until I'm big enough."

"You know Tirech, for the first time, you're using that thick-headed skull of yours other than hitting something," the one with the curved head bone scoffed, yet sounded slightly amused.

"Hey! What'd you say!?" the one known as Tirech retorted defensively, causing the feminine hadrosaur to recoil in shock.

"Quiet!" the purple youngling said in a loud whisper, speaking up for the first time since they arrived there. "Do you want to wake her up?"

Broken Jaw narrowed his eyes at them. Her? What did they mean by "her"? Was there someone beyond that wooden barricade? Was that why they were tentative in getting closer?

"Hm...I don't know," the giant mammal that was with them pondered. "I heard from Suzanne that she isn't much of a threat. She highly respected Aladar, though I would be a bit wary if she were hungry. Still, I think she should be given a chance. Espantos seemed to like her."

"Yeah, but that's Espantos. He's always dense when it comes to meeting new guys," the teal colored youngling mentioned blatantly.

"True, but still, however crazy he may be, he could be right. Anyway, if you wish to get close to her, make sure to give her a lot of space. She is in a new time after all," said the adult female in a calm manner despite how the youngster replied to her.

The children all agreed to that. Their time in front of the enclosure lasted for a few more minutes before they decided to leave. The younglings that looked similar, which Broken Jaw found were named Talin and Alden, left saying they would check on a female named Plio and the rest of her clan because they had some food they would like to try. The other two, which he had recently learned were named Tirech and Charon, left with the huge mammal for elsewhere in the valley. The golden warrior watched them retreat further away. As soon as they were far enough, he made his move.

Broken Jaw peered through the wooden bars of the fence. At first, he did not see anything out of the ordinary, until he noticed something move from within the cycad brush. The grey shape shifted its head to the side and was lying on its belly. The eyes were closed and the breathing was drawn out, signifying the slumber it was in.

The _Allosaurus lucasi's_ mouth fell agape. Although this one had a grey hide and lacked any back spines, it shared similarities to him. It had crests just above the eyes, arms with three claws each, and a snout much like his. There was no mistaking it; this was an _Allosaurus_ , but a different one. And it was just like the ones with grey skins that chased the _Diplodocus_ herd yesterday.

Then, a familiar scent reached his nostrils. Broken Jaw tensed up. He knew that scent. The last time he smelt it was yesterday, when he met his former family again in the Salt Plains. Among his kind, individuals are able to tell the sex of others not only by sight, but by smell. This allows them to track each other down when they are not in close quarters. For a male, their scene is stronger and mustier, similar to the smell of rocks under the sun. But for a female, they smell sweeter. Broken Jaw did not know why the scents were that way, but that was how things were.

And right now, he was standing in the midst of a sleeping female he had never seen before. In fact, this was the first female he ever came across that was not a relative. True, the chase yesterday included catching glimpses of these beings and his own kind in the pursuit in the Salt Plains, but he had no time to get a good look at either of them as he was busy with keeping his guardians safe…and fleeing from the sauropods that could have crushed him with their weights.

In hindsight, his mother and his sisters did not look half bad. But this new female looked…good for her appearance, despite having a different coloration. The scent of her was overpowering. It was like so many sweet plants pervaded the air. The smell, no _she_ , was intoxicating. His breathing became faster, and he could have sworn he felt his chest becoming hotter.

Finally, he had found a female that would not kill him on sight.

The sound of human instruments clattering caused him to yelp. His shifting had resulted in his foot stepping on a leftover red toolbox and a couple of buckets that were stacked nearby. The sudden ruckus did more than cause a mess for the poor _lucasi_ individual.

The female gasped, her head shooting up like a jumping fish. Her yellow eyes fluttered open, revealing a gaze associated with a predator disturbed.

"Agh! What!? What happened!?" she shrieked, snapping her head from side to side, looking for any trace of the cause of the disturbance.

"Uh...um...my bad! That was me!" the normally headstrong warrior stammered. From his most recent experiences, he knew that a large predator that was suddenly awoken was savage to whoever caused them to wake up. Broken Jaw went on guard, anxiety billowing up from the thought of this female charging in to kill him.

The grey one snapped her head at him. Her expression changed from irritation to interest. From where he was at, he could have sworn he saw her smile. Perhaps she was happy to see another one that looked like her? If so, she could greatly appreciate his company. But his interpretation was dashed when he saw her expression turn into one of shock. She quickly got on her feet and crouched in a defensive position.

"Oh...you're...you're...you're a..." she fumbled on her words, unable to get a sentence out.

Broken Jaw cocked his head. "What? I'm a what? There something on my face, or something?" he tried to finish. His action was confirmed when he brought a claw up to scratch whatever debris was on his features, and became disappointed when he found none.

The grey female uttered something he could barely hear. Whatever it was, he had no idea. But he saw she was getting nervous from her mouth quivering.

"A what? Sorry, didn't quite catch that," Broken Jaw said.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him in a pleading tone, almost like a rodent that was trapped in a corner by a predator. "I thought I was the only one of my kind in this place."

"Um...me too!" the _lucasi_ said with excitement. "Until my friends and I were caught up in a stampede of some lumbering leaf eaters and went through some strange light yesterday."

"Friends?" that one word put her on edge again. She looked all around her, trying to weed out any clue as to where more of his kind were at. "More like you?"

Broken Jaw shaking his head eased her a little. She breathed out a quiet sigh, but still kept her nervous expression. Why was she acting like this? Was she afraid that he and his friends would attack her? What was making her be on edge?

"No. One of them's an _Ornitholestes_ and another is a _Rhamphorhynchus_ ," he explained what his guardians were.

"I'm Broken Jaw...by the way. Cause, you know, I've got this," he used a claw to point at his mangled jaw.

"I'm...Alyssa," the female introduced almost under her breath.

"Alyssa huh? That's...um...well...you're...uh..."

Broken Jaw really felt like slapping himself. Why is it difficult to get anything out? This is just another _Allosaurus_ ; a strong-looking, gorgeous one at that. It really should not be hard to be in a casual conversation! Then again, this was the first female _Allosaurus_ he was talking to that was not a blood relative. In fact, this was the first female he had met since his childhood!

Had he been paying any attention to her rather than trying to think of what to say, he would have seen her looking around passed him. Her predatory gaze shifted from the far edge of her enclosure on the left to the plains that led to the Valley sector beyond. If he was looking at the obvious, she was trying to find some other means to divert the conversation.

"Well, I'm trying to say that...you're...pretty," he finally managed to say. His face had flushed to a deeper shade of red at saying that last word in a high pitch.

Alyssa's mouth fell open. Now this changed things. If she was nervous before, she was downright frightened now. The female hunter felt flattered at how attracted he was to her, but was not accepting it due to him being what he was. "Oh...um, thank you? Listen, you shouldn't be here. You could get caught!"

"Caught? Pfft!" he sputtered in amusement. "By who? Those things that looked like that Hazel kid? Nah, they won't be able to catch someone like me! If they did, I'd rip each of them a new one!"

"Hazel? She rescued you?" she trembled. The look she was giving him made him think she knew the human at some point. The male hunter felt astonished; here was another that was similar to him and she knew of Hazel and perhaps her flying companion? She seems to be quite famous around here. Broken Jaw brushed that thought aside, mentally noting to get to know the human more when he saw her again.

"Yeah? I think? She and her flying buddy made that bright light appear and we went through it. Well, I don't really think she knows we're even here. We kind of hid among those huge lugs."

He then diverted his attention to the wooden barrier around her area. His eyes did not break contact from the wood until at least two minutes later.

"What are you doing there anyway? Why aren't you out here?"

"This is...where I'm staying," Alyssa pointed out as if he had a low IQ. Her features changed into one of urgency. "Look, you need to go. Now! You can't be here! The humans don't know you came here, and if they didn't see you come through that portal, they'll think you're dangerous!"

"Why not? I passed by some of those...humans was it? They didn't seem to mind. They kind of welcomed me in fact," said Broken Jaw, remembering what he encountered throughout the day. "They called me a Resident. I think I've got a right to roam around here as much as you do. Here, let me take this weird wood stuff down. I'd like to get to know you a bit better."

The _Allosaurus lucasi_ strode forward and angled his body to the left. His left shoulder visible, he was about to charge forward and knock the fence down when he was stopped by the female's outburst.

"NO!" she screamed at him, causing him to back up in surprise. Her face was that of defiance; her teeth bared at him as if he were something she could dig her teeth into. Her breathing was short and shallow. She remained like that for a moment before switching to a more frantic tone. "I uh...need to get going!"

"Wait! When can I see you again?" he stopped her, now recovered from the sudden outburst of emotion.

The female shook her head furiously before running into the trees. "Goodbye!"

Alyssa fled into the cycad woods before Broken Jaw could even react properly. He stood there, dumbfounded and confused. More questions arose in his mind, and not the good kind. Why did she run away? Was it something he said? Where did he mess up?

She seemed afraid of something, and he didn't know what. Was it because she was trapped in that wooden barrier? She didn't seem to mind the separation from everywhere else. But if there was something that he got from today...it was that she had attracted him. Her beautiful voice, her fearsome grey hide, her steely gaze, they were all so entrancing!

He wanted to tear himself apart. He did not know how he did it, but he messed up. Caius did tell him that if he ever met another one of his kind that was of the opposite sex, the first thing he should do would be to strike up a conversation. Do not go up to them too quickly or be too self-centered otherwise the female would leave him. He should not be too outgoing and just let the female do all the talking. Yet the problem with her was that she was not being outgoing herself.

Broken Jaw stood there with regret coming up his throat. His chance at impressing a female had gone to waste. She was gone, and she did not accept him. That was the end of it.

There was no way he could be accepted by her because of what he was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa stopped, just barely a few feet into the wooded area of her enclosure. She placed a claw on her chest, trying to ease the aches from the near emotional breakdown she had. A few coughs escaped her maw, and her head still felt like it was pounding on itself; a week of rest from her illness is not enough for recovery. The soft shade of the leaves and the ferns around her provided her with the perfect cover from the intruder who abruptly approached her.

What had she been thinking? Sticking around and allowing that Yellow Skin to talk to her. She should have run from the very sight of him! Her mother taught her to never associate with Yellow Skins. They could attack her on sight! Or worse… Now she was in a situation where the very thing she was taught to fear now was attracted to her!

" _Alyssa, you fool!"_ she berated herself. _"Now look what you've done! You should have just ignored him!"_

The huntress was about to demonize Hazel and her friend for rescuing him when she remembered that Yellow Skin and his friends came to this place unintentionally. They are most likely unaware they were here in the first place. Hazel and Flia should not be blamed for rescuing them when they did not make their presence known.

Alyssa half-wished she was back in that giant metal cave where she lay in while she was recovering from her illness. The humans had taken her here to further her recovery process. They told her being in an area that was similar to her time may improve her health. She had already consumed some medicine they gave her through some tubes and felt happy she no longer had to deal with those odd substances; they tasted awful, like a rotten carcass went down her throat. Alyssa wanted to barf out the contents every time she tasted it, but the human named Suzanne told her otherwise. She was glad that ordeal was over. But now she has to deal with this new one…all alone.

" _Just stay here, and wait until he leaves,"_ she thought reassuringly. _"When he does, you can go back there and return to taking your nap."_

But she could always take a nap here. Here, she was safe from him. Here, she could be at peace. Here, she could be alone. She would not have to deal with having to listen or see that awful Yellow Skin.

Awful? No, he did not seem like it. In fact, under that gruff exterior, he seemed at least respectful of her gender. Annoying? Not really. Invasive of private space? Perhaps, but that was probably because he had never seen her before. Had he ever met another female in his life?

Then, a thought struck her. What if he never met another female before other than some relatives? What if he had been the only one of his kind where he was from? He was with two others that were not his kind, yet he considered them as family. What if…he just did not know how to act in front of her?

Alyssa looked back to the densely covered brush from where she came. She had not been gone long. Perhaps if she did go back, she could apologize to him for acting so fearful of him. Yes, this was the first Yellow Skin she came across, but he did not seem as bad as the stories she heard of them. Maybe he was different. Perhaps he just needed someone to talk to.

The _Allosaurus fragilis_ sighed. She turned tail and slowly ambled through the brush, back to the outside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Broken Jaw stood there, too stunned about what had just happened. This female, Alyssa, was the first one he had encountered in his whole life. Yet she brushed him off like he was scum. Where had he gone wrong? He was only trying to introduce himself. He only wanted to show her his better side; the one where he was more respectful rather than hotheaded.

He let out a sigh. Maybe it was because of how he looked. He unconsciously let a claw touch his crooked mouth. He probably did not meet her standards in appearance. If that was the case, then he already lost her to begin with.

" _Damn this stupid jaw!"_ he growled vehemently. _"I wish I never got it! I don't know what that human or her friend saw in me! I'll never get anyone to accept me so long as I have this!"_

The crippled male snorted furiously; the thought of no one getting near him mildly panged at his heart. First his mother abandoned him for his newly acquired weakness. Now a random female pushed him away because of his looks!

Broken Jaw stormed away. The only thing that remained on his mind was to go back to the hovel and not show himself to her again.

"Wait."

The warrior stopped abruptly. His head perked up at the sound of that melodious tune. He turned around and beheld the sight. All negative thoughts fell away when he saw Alyssa stand a few inches away from the fence barrier.

"I'm sorry," she told him, expressing utter sincerity. "I didn't mean to push you away like that. I haven't been thinking too straight as of late, with me being in this new time and recovering from this illness I had."

Broken Jaw broke out of his trance. So she did not run away because of his looks? She fled because she viewed him as an intruder that could hurt her? Well, if she was sick, then that would probably explain it. He must be the first of his kind she had ever seen.

"Hold on, you were sick?" he edged a little closer to her enclosure.

The female nodded, confirming his suspicions. "Hazel and her friend Flia along with some of their other friends rescued me from a mud bank. Had they not found me in time, I would have been dead. Or I would have been someone else's dinner."

Broken Jaw huffed loudly. To Alyssa, it sounded like a laugh. "Wow, when Hazel and her friend found me, they were trying to protect a _Supersaurus_ and her kid from...well...me. I managed to tear off Woodstock's tail, that's the _Supersaurus_ that I was up against, and threw it at those girls. Gave them a good slap in their butts," he proudly recanted with emphasis at the end.

The huntress laughed, slightly catching the broken one off guard. This female was scared of him before and now she found him funny? This encounter was getting all the more interesting by the moment. His mangled jaw creased in an awkward position, where his sides went up yet his mouth remained unchanged. For the first time in a long time, he had not felt like this before. The harshness of the Water Hole brought little to rejoice in over the years.

He had smiled.

"Then I got caught up in another fight and they distracted a _Torvosaurus_ long enough for me to escape," he continued, wanting to impress her even more. "Yeah, I know, pretty weak of me. But they patched me back up before I went back and gave that dunghole a piece of my mind. Then our Water Hole got dirtied up by that guy's blood and my friends and I were forced to leave our home. We followed those girls and those huge lugs to the Salt Plains, we got into some more trouble, and then we ended up here."

Alyssa laughed even harder, though she coughed hard in between each laugh. The strain of her reaction to the amusement was making her chest hurt slightly, but she did not mind it at all.

"That's quite a story," she laughed weakly, recovering from her torture.

"Yeah well, that's what happened," Broken Jaw chuckled softly. He then gazed at her form again. His face heated up again at the sight of her lithe, yet strong form. "Um...I'm not sure if you already know this, but...you're really pretty. Um, for one of your species anyway."

He wanted to smack himself again. Why did he say that again when the last time he said that, she ran away!? What, is he stupid!?

"Um...thanks? No one's ever told me that," she raised an invisible brow at him. Her ease at accepting to compliment somehow put the hunter off guard.

"Um…ahem. Well, now someone did," Broken Jaw cleared his throat, attempting to save face. "You're welcome."

The grey _Allosaurus_ gazed at him, her predatory eyes inspecting every angle of his body. When the male saw her do this, he nervously shifted in his position. "You know, I've never met a Yellow Skin until today."

Broken Jaw frowned inquisitively at the new term. "A Yellow Skin?"

"That's what you are," Alyssa frowned, a hint of edginess in her voice. "I was told of your kind from my mother. She told me of a group that was much like us except more vicious and arrogant in nature. She told me to stay away from them because they were nothing but ruffians. But...after meeting you...you're not so bad."

Now Broken Jaw understood. The reason why she ran from the sight of him was because of what he was. It was all because of a stereotype he had no knowledge of that her mother told her. How could this female think of him that way!? Well, then again, she was not wrong when she said he was more vicious and arrogant in nature. He hated to admit it, but he was. There were often times he would explode in front of Caius and Flit for something so little in the past.

Broken Jaw was torn from being flattered or hurt, and he did not know which one to go with.

"So...that's why you were so scared around me? Because of what you were told?"

"Yeah," Alyssa nervously chuckled. "Pretty stupid, I know. But, you're really nice."

The _Allosaurus lucasi_ gave her an unnoticeable smirk, but the uplifting sound of his voice told her he was okay with it. "Heh, I guess. You're not so bad yourself."

Broken Jaw had half a mind to roll his eyes. He would never appear soft in front of anyone else, except for Caius and Flit. They took care of him. And perhaps Hazel…she did look out for him after his first beat down from Shirley. In fact, ever since that traumatic day in his childhood, he made it his prerogative to not appear weak to anybody. Weakness would lead to possible death.

But now, expressing some emotion did not feel like such a bad thing. Alyssa had made up with him and seemed like she was willing to get to know him more. If Caius were here, he would be proud. Flit would probably butt in and say something embarrassing, something Broken Jaw would really hate to have.

Broken Jaw looked towards the open valley. What would those two think of her? If he brought her there, they might run off screaming, unless he was able to tell them she was safe. But if he brought them here, they would bombard her with questions. Then again, he had no idea where they were. They could be elsewhere, trying to get some food for the evening.

"I'd better get going," he said. He walked towards the hills that bordered the open plains. "Caius and Flit should be back at our hideout. Hopefully they didn't get themselves into any trouble."

"Okay. It was nice meeting you...Broken Jaw."

Broken Jaw stopped at how enthusiastic she said his name. He looked back and tried to keep a straight face to not show any more gushiness.

"Hey um...can, can we see each other again?" he asked her as politely as he could. "You're the first Allo who's ever treated me with respect and...I want to get to know you."

A moment passed by and the yellow warrior feared she would decline. Surprisingly, she did the opposite. "Okay. We can meet back tomorrow if you'd like. Just make sure that none of the other humans here catch you, at least until I let Hazel or her friends know. If the other humans catch you here, they might put you in one of those 'Holding Pens' until they decide what to do with you."

Broken Jaw sputtered pompously, despite not knowing what a Holden Pen was. "What? Me? In a Holding Pen? Nah, they'll have to think twice about catching me. I'll mess them up before they get the chance to get me."

Alyssa shook her head in amusement, almost rolling her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Tch, later," he told her. Though he said so in a gruff manner, he expressed some enthusiasm in the eventual meeting.

Broken Jaw hurried off after making one last glance at the retreating Allosaurus fragilis. Finally, there was another like him that would not kill him on sight! The introductions went off to a rocky start, but at least it got better in the end. What's better was that she was willing to talk to him again.

What was more was that the whole conversation he just had made him forget his hunger. What was this new feeling in his stomach? It felt like something was fluttering inside like a few leaves were scraping against his stomach walls. This was something he had never experienced before. He did not feel sick. He did not feel weak. It just felt…odd. Whatever this feeling was, it was infuriating him.

"Hey, you're a new Resident, right?"

Broken Jaw perked his head up, broken out of ruminations by someone off to his right. Turning his head, he somewhat welcomed the form of a young human male with pale skin and dark-brown thin "leaves" on his head. Like the other humans he saw, this one wore a dark green covering with brown protection around the legs. The feet were covered by some hard, dark brown material. Slung across his back was another one of those odd sticks.

Broken Jaw squinted at that stick warily. Somehow, he was getting a bad feeling about one of those.

"Um...I guess?" he replied, returning his gaze at the human.

"Ah, I see. Guess you're taking a tour then," the man said with a laugh. "Well, if you're new here, welcome to Prehistoric Park! You'll love it here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of us. We'll fill you in. Though, just as a heads up, if you happen to come across a green Iguanodon around here, don't let him see you. He'll have a fit."

The _Allosaurus_ cocked a brow. An _Iguanodon_? What was that? Judging from how this human talking about this creature, he sounded like trouble. Broken Jaw hoped he was not as dangerous as that one _Torovsaurus_.

"Oh, and you may want to avoid the wide open plains a bit of a ways from here," said the human, who pointed a "claw" towards the open plains he was heading to. "The folks there may not be aware that you're here. Some of them are still getting used to living with carnivores that could tear them up at any day. But if you've got a guide with you, then they may ease up."

"Um...thanks," Broken Jaw said with a hint of uncertainty. "But I think I'll pass. I'm uh...going to head off now."

"Okay! Have a nice day...," the man's expression turned from one of optimism to confusion. "Um…what's your name again?"

"Broken Jaw," he answered simply then made his way to the main part of the valley. His gait increased than before so he could quickly get away from the odd human that did not seem so frightened by his presence.

"Huh, strange name. Well, see you Broken Jaw!"

Broken Jaw dared not look back. He focused on getting to those hills as quickly as possible. This place was filled with strange beings. What that human referred to as the "folks in the open plains" seemed redundant. Did he mean the creatures in the open plains? If so, then he knew full well to keep himself out of sight until he deemed this area safe for hunting.

He also knew there were creatures here that had the potential to kill him if he was not careful. Those large carnivores in the other side of this place were certainly big enough to do so. Broken Jaw noted to tell Caius and Flit to avoid the larger predators; they did not want to have another _Torvosaurus_ incident.

There was a plus to today's adventure. Alyssa. Broken Jaw welcomed the feeling of joy when he thought of her. He could not wait to talk to her again. The thought of meeting her again was enough for him to welcome tomorrow.

Maybe this place is better than the Water Hole after all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Troodon Grove…

While Broken Jaw was lost in his ruminations, a certain _Ornitholestes_ and his _Rhamphorhynchus_ companion were having their own tour of the park. Though, unlike Broken Jaw, they've been doing it with stealth. Reason why was because they'd rather see the dangers in the area, where to find food, and what kind of creatures were here before making themselves known. Part of the disadvantages of not being a large predator, but they made due.

Caius and Flit were blown away by the foreign environment of the land they were in. It was so lush with numerous plants, many of which the duo was unfamiliar with, and even odder sights; like the weird constructs that contained the even more alien creature. Odd three-horned herbivores, enormous bugs inside some sort of see-through stone dome, strange mammals with deadly looking canines, and many more bizarre forms.

"Such a strange place this is..." Caius commented as he took in a pair of strange looking creatures with round black feet that stood idly off to the side of the road (A.K.A. two parked Jeeps).

His pterosaur companion nodded in agreement. "No kidding. Those human thing-a-ma-bobs were riding on those weird-ass things with round legs."

The little theropod shook his head. "I mean besides the humans and their...whatever they had. There are creatures here we've never seen before. Such as that giant creature that lived in that Water Hole with its smaller offspring. Or those creatures with the huge talons on their hands."

"Hey don't forget that weird thing that looks a little like you, except not. Thing was way too tall, had some freakish plumage, and was heck of a lot taller than you. Oh, and he talked waaaaaaaaay too freakin' much!" Flit chirped, unintentionally referring to a certain yellow-feathered Terror Bird. "What the heck kind of a place is this anyway?"

"I don't know. But we need to keep observing," Caius replied in a no nonsense tone. "Try not to attract any attention until we are more accustomed to our surroundings."

"Ugh...can we take a break? I'm starving! We've been walking since morning!" The little flyer complained. The two haven't eaten anything since their departure from the Water Hole, so the pterosaur was a bit irritable now.

"We'll eat once we fully explored this place." The _Ornitholestes_ responded, he too feeling hunger pangs, but still mature enough to push past it.

Flit huffed as he looked in the opposite direction of his friend. When he did, the flyer's eyes widened at what his eyes unintentionally landed on.

On the opposite side of the walls of wooden pillars was a large pile of succulent meat, nearly three times the size of Caius. It was just sitting there unattended, and ripe for the pickings for a certain hungry _Rhamphorhynchus._

Seeing his friend swiftly dart though the wooden beams caused Caius to chase after the pterosaur. "Flit! What are you doing!? Get back here!"

"Relax Caius! I'm just getting a quick bite!" the flyer replied as he approached the delectable feast.

Worried, Caius momentarily scanned the fence-line and found a small gap at the base of one of the wooden posts, just enough room for the _Ornitholestes_ to wriggle through. He darted through the opening with little difficulty and approached the peckish pterosaur.

Flit licked his beak in anticipation, "Oh...this looks so good...let's dig in!"

Caius was also salivating at the thought of the sizable looking meal. However, the small theropod knew better than to assume this meat was just left unattended. "Wait! We can't just take the food! We don't know what it is, much less why it is out here. It might be diseased!"

"Relax. It's just out here for the taking." Flit said with hunger in his eyes. "Every carno for themselves right? Just like our Water Hole."

"But this is not the Water Hole, Flit. We should leave."

Flit waved a wing dismissively. "Yeah yeah, just let me get one quick bite…"

Flit went in and was about to snack on the pile when a roar screeched from within the wooded area. Both were startled to see a yellow blur run out from the foliage and screech madly at them. The two backed off and saw the figure stand in front of them, protecting his meal. This being was Rascal the _Troodon_.

"Hey, hey! What do you think you're doing!? Trying to steal my meal! You boneheads, ya got some nerve trespassin' on my turf!"

"Hey come on! We saw it first! How could you claim that meat as your own! You barely even touched it!" The yellow flyer protested.

"Cause it's mine you piss-colored freak flyer!" Rascal sneered. "It's in my enclosure, so its basically got my name on it! You two better high-tail it out of here, or I'm going to rip you a new one! Starting with the birdbrain there with the ugly teeth!"

"Hey, what'd you say!?"

Caius steps in front of Rascal, blocking him from Flit before things could escalate out of hand.

"Forgive my friend, he is a bit quick to jumping into rash developments. We're sorry we intruded in your territory and for attempting to take your food. We bear no ill will." Caius said as he took a large breath to steady his nerves. "I am Caius, and this is Flit. As you can see, we're not from around here."

"Huh, thought as much. You two assholes are takin' a tour of this boring place. No wonder I've never seen you before." The _Troodon_ took a sniff of the newcomers and swiftly recoiled. "Ugh, you don't smell like you're from around here either. You both smell like somethin' salty mixed with sun, BO, and desperation. Oh, and somethin' else too...smells like you've been rolling around in the droppings of some large leaf eaters. What'd you do, mistake some crap for clumps of mud and decided to take a mud bath in them?"

Rascal rudely cackled at the new Residents. Although the new duo didn't understand the modern terms that the _Troodon_ used, Flit could easily recognize an insult towards Caius and himself, and immediately took offense.

"You guys are a bunch of losers for doing that! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The _Troodon_ cackled.

"The heck is so funny? You think we smell like crap? Well you look like something marked its territory on you! And then rubbed their crappy influence all over your face!" Flit shrieked at the rude theropod.

Rascal ceases laughing and looks at them accusingly.

"What...did...you...say?" the _Troodon_ snarled. "Oh ho ho ho! You better take that back, otherwise I'm going to turn you into a nice little side dish for my meal here. I like my steak a la Rascal to have some wings with some extra sauce on it!"

Before Flit could escalate the situation by diving to peck at Rascal, Caius snagged the flyer's tail. The yellow pterosaur struggled and flailed in the _Ornitholestes'_ grip, but couldn't get loose.

"I apologize again. We'll be going now." Caius called out as he and Flit swiftly squeezed through the small gap in the fence.

"Hey hey hey! Get back here! I'm not done with you!" The _Troodon_ shouted as he pursued the duo. As the escapees fled through the fence gap, Rascal tried to follow, only to hear the warning beeps of his collar.

 ***BZZZZZT***

"ARGH!"

As Rascal was shaking off the shock, Caius and Flit rushed away. However, Flit was still a bit peeved that he didn't get a shot at fighting the rude carnivore. He was too busy getting dragged away by the tail by his grey friend.

"Flit, you're a fool," Caius said as soon as he dragged his friend far enough away. "Engaging into a conflict against something we knew nothing about? Making enemies on our first day here? Really?"

"Hey he started it!"

"And you prolonged it," the _Ornitholestes_ retorted. "This is a new land, Flit. We need to know everything it is we need to know about this place before we can settle down. Do you want to get yourself into deeper trouble? If you continued with fighting that...Rascal, he could have killed you."

"Gr... fine," the _Rhamphorhynchus_ grumbled.

Caius shook his head at the childish behavior. "Stay away from him...and don't talk to anyone else here unless they prove themselves of the amiable type. We don't want to bring up any suspicion."

"Suspicion? These guys probably already know we're not from around here," Flit protested as he landed on the theropod's back.

"In any case, we need to keep observing."

"Whatever...can we get some food now? I'm hungry..."

Caius rolled his eyes and started sniffing around, trying to get the slightest hint of something edible. Flit follows along, lending into the search by gliding through the air.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

15 minutes later...

Even though it wasn't that long since their encounter with Rascal, Flit's short attention span ran out quickly and the pterosaur was back to pestering his friend.

"I'm hungry! Can't you sniff any faster?"

"If you keep complaining like that, I won't let you have your share of the spoils," Caius grumbled. The _Ornitholestes_ was hungry as well, but Flit asking every 10 seconds for food tested Caius' patience.

Flit's stomach only further rumbled. "Why don't we just ask the guys that are running around this place? You know, that kid Hazel's kind?"

"Because if we do, that would be exposing ourselves and we'd start everything off on the wrong foot. We need to observe, remember?"

"Ugh..."

Caius' sage advice was worth heeding. The smaller theropod had more worldly experience about survival, so Flit and Broken Jaw took any advice they could to heart. It was thanks mostly to Caius that contributed to the trio's survival on the Salt Plains.

Suddenly, Caius' head perked up, his nostrils flaring more rapidly.

"What? You got something?" Flit asked eagerly.

"Yes. And it's very near," the theropod said as his head darted back and forth, narrowing down the sent of his unseen prize.

Caius then bolted towards the direction of the smell, with Flit close behind in the air. They weaved around Park equipment and dodged Park employees by hiding behind objects. In no time, they arrived at a strange metal structure that looked like a cave with a gaping mouth; otherwise known as a warehouse near the Holding Pens. Curious to see where the sent led to, the two out-of-time creatures peered into the metal cave, and what they saw blew them away.

In the Park warehouse were rows upon rows of food, for both humans and Residents, just ripe for the taking. The many sights and smells assaulted the flyer and biped, but what drew their attention was a slightly ajar door that led to a room that had chilling air drifting out of it.

"Whoa...what is this place?" Flit whispered.

Caius shrugged. "I'm not sure, but this is where the smell leads."

The duo cautiously inched their way into the cold container, amazed at the fact that a cave can get to freezing cold temperatures when the sun was out. Both of the desert acclimated animals immediately began shivering. Caius at least had some insolation with his thin layer of feathers, but Flit kept shivering from the cool sensation of the air. They began poking around the various shelves, ignoring all of the colorful fruits in favor of the "true" food items. The two friends prodded around the refrigerated room until Caius nosed his way into a bottom drawer, what they saw amazed them.

"Wow! Check out all that food!" Flit exclaimed.

The Salt Plains scavengers discovered drawers filled to the brim with meats of all kinds. The many types of flesh were unrecognizable to the duo, but considering their upbringing, meat was meat. It seemed that every drawer they pulled open was just filled with meat, each more mouthwatering than the next.

"They must have been hoarding them for later consumption." Caius commented, taking note of the lack of rot on the chilled meat. "These beings are more clever than we let on."

Flit glanced to his friend mischievously. "Caius, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Caius gave him a toothy grin and nods as they both zeroed in on their spoils.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At least 10 minutes later...

When Caius and Flit arrived at the food warehouse, everything was spotlessly clean. Everything was in their proper place and organized for the convenience of the Keepers. Now, the whole place was a disaster zone; especially the freezer and the fridge. The two had stuffed themselves up so much within a short expanse of time.

"Hey Caius, you should try these little stick things out here," Flit perked his head from one of the shelves. In his mouth were several pieces of beef jerky. "They're pretty tangy and hard to chew, but they taste great! Shouldn't we bring some of this food to BJ?"

"My thoughts exactly," Caius said with a nod. He then walked up to Flit and dropped a large plastic bag on the ground. "I found this while exploring this cave. We can use it to bring some food to Broken Jaw. Help me find something we can carry."

The yellow flyer "flitted" to one of the larger containers and found a large round headless carcass of some sort of creature (read: Turkey). Since he and Caius already had their fill of food, the large (for his size) carcass would be enough to tide Broken Jaw over for the moment. At Flit's behest, Caius hauled it into the bag (with some difficulty) and then carried it in his mouth. He had never carried anything so heavy, so he had to support the weight with his claws as well.

"Let's book! Wait until BJ sees this!"

The duo darted out of the complex and into the nearby forest, leaving a huge mess in their wake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Just as Flit and Caius escaped into the foliage, a certain engineer waltzed into the warehouse. Marcus was on his lunch break and was eager to retrieve his favorite food to eat. However, his eyes were drawn towards the destruction of the meat locker. All of the carefully sealed meat was torn open and littered the ground. _Ornithomimus_ feed was spilt in the back of the room, all the grains scattered on the concrete. And a great deal of the meat based products looked partially eaten. Overall, it looked as if a tornado torn up the place.

"What the—!? What the hell happened here!?"

He walked into the complex and stepped on something firm. He looked down and was horrified to see a piece of beef jerky on the cement.

"Oh no...no no no no NO!"

Marcus rushed over to one of the shelves and rummaged through a compartment in the back. His fears were confirmed when he found his secret stash of O'Boy Oberto strewn all over the place...and half eaten. Most of the pieces were gone and was left with at least 20 small pieces rather than the 60 he saved up.

"Who in the hell ate my stash of beef jerky!?"


	14. Emotional Recollections

_Hey guys. Darksage and Marc here with another chapter in Prehistoric Revolution. So…things are getting pretty interesting now. Broken jaw and friends are roaming the park…and getting acquainted with the place in their own way. In the case of Caius and Flit, finding the food warehouse and ransacking the whole place like Scooby Doo and Shaggy xD. We've got some possible romance in the air. And…a happy beginning for the Supersaurs. Yeah…a lot of fun stuff ^.^_

 _We also want to let you guys know that the Christmas special to the series is nearly finished. However, we decided to make it canon, meaning that it's a short sequel after Prehistoric Revolution. So, until this story is complete, the Christmas Special won't be posted yet. Sorry_ _. We'll keep you updated on the status of the series._

 _Happy reading!_

 _ **Soundtrack: Why by Jurrivh**_

Meanwhile…at Titanosaur Treetops

Baylene gasped loudly as she trudged another step. Despite being one of the largest creatures to have ever lived and was cautious wherever she stepped due to the smaller beings she lived with, her weight and old age were getting the better of her when rushing. It certainly did not help that as a _Brachiosaurus_ , she had to constantly uphold her large metabolism to support herself. She can survive without food for a while, but there was no need to do so since they were not migrating.

Right now, she was not in the mood to eat. Rumors spread throughout the park that several newcomers came the day before. Even more intriguing was that they were large and possessed long necks like Baylene. The elderly woman did not get ahold of this information until that afternoon, when several herd members spotted them roaming around the park.

This was enough to send Baylene rushing to Titanosaur Treetops, where she figured they would be if they were being led by Yin and her Flock. Her mind screamed for the possibility of them being of her own species. While this idea seemed a little farfetched, she hoped they were. If not, then she was content with communing with individuals that were somewhat related to her in terms of species. She did have Yin and the rest of the _Borealosaurus_ , but the saying "the more the merrier" always seemed dominant.

The trip to the Titanosaur region of the park took a while for Baylene to complete. On the way, she passed by Bob, who was on his way to that very place from the main hub, bringing along a contraption the humans called a wheelbarrow that was filled with small rocks. The two quickly exchanged words before the _Brachiosaurus_ rushed off to the treetops after she took a small gulp of the rocks the human had.

When she finally made it to the familiar treeline of the sauropod home, she was surprised to see it deserted. Baylene was stunned; this area was usually not so empty in the late afternoon. The macronarian trudged into the vegetation then peered her head over the tops of the trees to catch a glimpse of dull green skin or a sauropod with a red streak on her nose. No sound of the familiar sauropods wafted through the wind. No sound of the heavy crunches of branches echoed. It was deserted.

"How odd…where could they all be?" she muttered with a frown.

Baylene continued on, not giving up in her search until she came across somebody. Seconds turned into minutes. The outer edge of the treetops was empty. She stomped deeper into the woods, hoping that there was at least someone who was hiding there.

Her wish was granted when she heard and saw a tree shake in her peripheral vision. The sauropod snapped her head in that direction and rushed towards it. Leaves and small branches fell from the tall plant onto the floor below. Nothing was strong enough to shake a tree with a trunk diameter that was almost as thick as her leg, unless there was another Resident that wanted the greens on top, which there was not.

When Baylene got to where the moving tree was, her eyes were amazed by what stood before her. It was a creature that was similar to her, but had many differences. Unlike her stature, this new individual was more horizontally inclined, yet was immensely long. Its huge tail whipped and twirled in the wind, just passed the leaves above. The neck was indeed long, but not as long as the tail. Baylene was far larger than it in terms of height, meaning she had to look down on it. If this being would lift is head up, it would probably be almost at her eye level, just short a few feet. All along its back were small, sharp black spines, save for a part on its back that had a gap. The individual, whom Baylene determined as male from the sounds he was making from eating one of the many ferns that were clustered in this place, seemed to not have noticed her presence.

"Oh goodness, excuse me?" she politely called out to him.

The longneck nearly sputtered out his food at the sudden intrusion. He craned his neck to the side, taking in the form of the _Brachiosaurus_. His expression was that of mild surprise.

"Greetings, madam. I did not see you there," he greeted after taking a quick gulp of his food. His accent was unusual for someone of his stature, and was more akin to a small number of the herd members in the Valley. This newcomer kept his eloquence, though he expressed it in a different manner.

"Forgive my intrusion," Baylene took a few tentative steps forward. "But I was just told that there were some newcomers that had arrived just recently. I take it that you are one of them?"

The newcomer nodded. "Indeed. My name is Charles. I'm the leader of the _Diplodocus_ herd that came through that light that led us here yesterday. And who might you be?"

"I am called Baylene. I too am a new arrival here, at least, not very recently."

"Ah. So where do you come from? Not from around here I am guessing," said the _Diplodocus_.

The _Brachiosaurus_ shook her head. "No no, I am from here. Well, for the most part," her response intrigued the alpha. "Originally, I was not born here, but then my herd and I arrived in this place not too long ago and then we came back here in a different time. It is a very long story and I don't think you would like to hear it, considering you may have had a harrowing escape from your time."

"Actually, considering we are in a mighty fine place with all the food we could ask and everyone here is tolerable, well, most of them, I think I can handle a long story," Charles told her, remembering all of the Residents, both friendly and unfriendly.

Baylene gave him a comforting smile. "I am glad Hazel and Flia managed to rescue you in time."

"So, you know that two-legged youngling and her friend?" he asked about the two new friends that had rescued him and his herd from certain destruction.

His answer was confirmed with a firm nod. "Oh yes, she and I have been friends for over a year, and I with Flia even longer. Hazel and her mentor Nigel were the ones that rescued me and my herd from destruction not too long ago. If it were not for them, we would have not lived to see another day."

"Hm…sounds like she is not new to this whole 'rescue' deal," he realized. "I am glad my herd is safe."

Charles expression turned from content to guilt in a second. "But…not all of us made it."

Baylene eyed him questioningly. What had happened yesterday? She heard that they were running from a large group of predators and that they came from someplace that was possibly just as harsh as the desert her own herd went through the previous year. Did something bad happen to them?

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The alpha longneck sighed. "There was one who could not make it; Joel, who was a friend of ours. He had been sick for some time with some unknown disease. Then yesterday, we were ambushed by a group of predators. He stayed behind to fight them off so we could go on ahead. Flia told me the whole thing. It broke a part of me to hear that Joel, someone who would fight to the very end, would live up to his promise. I just wish I had been there for him."

Baylene glanced away, trying to blink away the tears that were coming into her eyes. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one. She had witnessed the deaths of her own kind over the years, whether by natural causes or through predators. An old woman her age would have gone senile if she was not strong, yet Baylene held on. Even the fact that she was the last of her kind nearly made her lose her sanity. It was thanks to her friends and her new family that she did not give up on herself.

"I understand your plight," she said, her gaze radiating sympathy. She then remembered a saying she heard from Neera that she learned from Hazel not too long ago. "I have lost loved ones over the years through numerous causes. But I was told that when someone is gone, they do not truly leave you. They are with you even when you can't see them. Then there are those around you who are willing to stay by your side so long as you let them. So, you are not truly alone. You are here now, and you are alive. That is all that matters."

Charles smiled sadly. "Well, that is a mighty fine sentiment you just told me. I suppose I should follow Joel's advice and 'not grieve for him'. He lived a long life and wished the best for us. I do miss him though."

Their conversation was met with silence. The palms in the trees rustled in the wind. The sounds of the herd and the Residents in the other parts of the valley erupted in faint bellows. The birds that lived in the valley tweeted above. The sounds of nature and natural civilization pervaded their ears.

Charles then cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence between the two. "You say you came with a herd? Where are they? I did not see others like you when I went around yesterday."

"Oh, well…," Baylene looked away, her face having a hint of grief. "I am the only one here. In fact, I am the last of my kind."

The _Diplodocus_ gaped. He resisted exclaiming at the new information he heard. "Well I'll be darned. You're the only one left? I thought there would be more of you here since you said you came with a herd."

The _Brachiosaurus_ answered with a no. "I'm afraid not. The herd I traveled with lives in the open plains in the other direction. They are quite unlike us where they lacked our giant size and our long statures."

Charles frowned, sensing the older woman's turmoil. "Well I'm sorry to hear that. I thought there would be more of you. I've seen others like you where I'm from. I was friends with one of them before he passed away from old age."

Baylene gasped. Hearing that there was more of her kind where he was from pleased her to no end. No, pleased was an understatement. Ecstatic was the best term. She may have hailed from a time much later than Charles, but the news that others like her roamed the plains he came from was happy news indeed. There were individuals like her that lived in a time much earlier than her own. From what Charles had said, they flourished throughout the land.

True, this was the far future and she was the only one there, but with the "Time Poles" that the humans had, rescuing a small herd that looked like her would not be much of a problem. The only reason why she would not leave this place to be with the other herds was because of her own family and friends here; she did not want to leave them behind. Besides, this valley was her new home after all.

"So, you are not deceiving me?" she leaned in a little closer to the younger male. "There were…are…more of my kind?"

"Quite so Madam Baylene," he nodded, making the female's smile bigger. "You are not the first _Brachiosaurus_ I have come across in my lifetime."

"Oh, this is wonderful news indeed!" she squealed in joy. "I am pleased to know I am not the last, in terms of time. I should have a little chat with Hazel about this before she leaves on her next journey."

Charles rumbled with laughter. "So tell me more about where you're from. What's your story?"

The two sauropods talked about their origins, from where they were born, the experiences they went through, their friends, their homes, and the trials they faced. They exchanged laughs, exclamations, and a few other reactions. Their conversing went on for several more minutes before their company was interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the _Diplodocus_ and Yin's Flock.

Baylene, like before, cried in joy. Once again, she was met by others who were similar to her. Her other friend circle of eight had grown even larger. She decided to have dinner with them tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On the other side of the park…

The receding rays of the sun behind the louds beautifully complimented the park into picturesque scenery. The darkening shadows of the trees in the forests around the valley, the cawing of the birds above, the milling of the herd members as they went around looking for some dinner in the valley and the sounds of the daily commotion of humans and Residents filled the air no matter the distance all painted the valley in its own way.

The late afternoon was slowly giving way to the early hours of the evening. Around this time, park employees were starting to check in for the night. Most of them were going over to the café to have their dinners, unless they had their own dinners in their rooms. Those who did not leave yet were finishing with making sure the Residents in their enclosures were comfortable for the night, whether they needed food or for other reasons.

The modern-day Residents that did roam around, the African elephants, were moving over to their usual places of rest. The males and females were still separated and knew better than to cross each other; the only time this would be null would be when males were looking for mates. Having already eaten their fill of hay and vegetables, they were clocking in for the night as well.

The only person who still roamed around was a certain young time traveler who had too much on her mind. Today had been an off day for her. After her argument with Flia the previous day, she did not feel up to par with helping the other employees with their day to day chores. She was not even in the mood to help Bob with feeding the Residents, which was usually one of her favorite chores of the day all because this was the time to check on them when it was not her break time. The other employees that knew her longer knew better than to intrude on her space when she was in a bad mood. It was pretty apparent too; she hardly spoke, she almost always had her eyes on the ground, and she never started any conversations. Nigel noticed this soon after lunch time and decided to give her the rest of the day off, which she gladly welcomed. He did not want his protégé to slip up in her work while she was under emotional turmoil, even though he had no idea what it was.

"Stupid Flia...we could have saved that guy!" Hazel ranted as she walked through the area that was reserved for the male elephants. Her new outfit she wore slightly flowed with the breeze that blew. Instead of the purple tank top she had on the day before, she now wore a wide-collared lavender T-shirt with a black tank top underneath. Her knee-length denim shorts had been replaced with Newport denim cutoff shorts with the Fur de Lis design on the back pockets.

"His sickness was obviously making him not think straight. How could she just accept his choice like that? This is worse than that time my mom would not let me attend that one sparring tournament! And what happened? The team lost!" she continued on her tirade, remembering that one time when she missed a karate tournament due to getting grounded for accidentally breaking a couple of dishes.

The girl face-palmed. "Why did she go with me on this mission? I should have gone solo!"

Had Hazel been paying any more attention, she would have noticed something pass over her. She was too focused with cursing Flia AND how the events yesterday should have gone to know that she was being followed. When she felt the breeze from behind her, it was too late.

Hazel yelped when she felt clawed feet wrap around her arms. Her form was suddenly lifted up into the air. She screamed for dear life as she was helplessly taken away. 10 feet, 30 feet, 50 feet, she was getting higher by the second. Hazel screamed when she saw the world below become miniscule. The last time she had been through something like this was when she was escaping a pack of _Velociraptors_ before she met Aladar and Neera's herd, right when she first met Flia…

The girl looked up. Her face contorted into a scowl when she recognized the familiar flat purple crest atop a head with a long beak. "Flia!? What the hell are you doing!?"

The _Pteranodon_ looked down, unfazed by the human's cold glare. "Hazel, we need to talk."

Hazel crossed her arms and looked away. "Yeah? Well I don't want to!"

"Hazel stop being stubborn. You're acting like a hatchling! If you keep avoiding this, then the tension will not subside. Don't you want to settle this now? I for one am not feeling too happy either, hence why we need to talk."

"I am too," she gave her a sassy look, which then turned into a frown. "But I don't want to talk to you."

Flia sighed; a shake of her head portrayed her frustration. "If you won't listen to reason, I'll have to make you."

Suddenly, Hazel felt herself fall through the air as her friend's talons released her. She freefell, with nothing to ease her landing at all save for the clothes on her back. The only time she experienced something like this was on her first day as a scout when she accidentally fell off of Flia when they made a sharp turn. Now, she was falling through a couple hundred feet in the air with the velocity increasing at every second. Her jet black hair trailed freely behind her. The skin on her face rippled at the increasing speed. Her screaming was so shrill that anyone from a few miles away could hear.

"Holy shit! Flia you jerk! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she screamed, her arms flailing vigorously in the air.

Hazel could have been hallucinating, or she could have been going out of it, but she could have sworn she saw images in her mind. She knew the saying "before you die, you see images of your life flash before your eyes" existed, but she never thought she would have it now. In her eyes, she saw the time when she blew out the candles on her cake on her second birthday, with her family around her. She saw the first time she laid eyes on her sister right after she was born, when they were in that hospital room that she herself had been born in before. She saw the first time she broke a board in her first karate test. She saw the day her father left her family to go on a journey where he made a fantastic discovery…and never returned; that day brought tears to her eyes, including now. She saw the day when she graduated from high school, and when Nigel took her to Prehistoric Park for the first time. She even saw the days when she first met Flia, Aladar, Neera, Baylene, Eema, Url, Plio, Yar, Zini, Suri, Bruton, and Kron. She re-experienced the day when she and Nigel helped the herd escape the Fireball that destroyed the valley and Aladar's condition that followed after. So many memories came to her like pictures slamming in her face.

It was this moment she knew she was going to die. She was going to die because of a little argument that she had with Flia about their failed mission. Hazel cursed loudly, regretting all the mistakes she had done.

Right when she was about to hit the ground, and send a curse to Flia for the cause of her death, said flyer snatched her on her arms with her talons. They swooped back into the air, quickly climbing back up to the altitude they were originally in. Hazel's screaming stopped immediately, but she could not stop gasping. Her lungs ached as if something had been taking up too much space inside. Her eyes had leaked out tears, with the water droplets creating streaks to the back of her head.

"Flia what the fucking Christ's sake!? You almost killed me!" she cursed at the _Pteranodon_ for the near murder she made.

"Are you ready to listen to me now?" the scout calmly asked her, despite not knowing what she was cursing about. Though she did not show it, Hazel felt that she was worried about her condition, yet the heavy breathing may had been a sign of over exertion.

The human looked away; furious at what she had done and of the conflict that she would not resolve unless things went her way.

"If you don't go along with this, I'll drop you again. I won't come down to save you."

Hazel scoffed. She knew a great deal about Flia; she would not dare drop a friend and not save them. Plus, she watched too many cartoons and read a lot of books to know that this was a way for somebody to get the other person to give in. "You're bluffing. You're bluffing!"

The crested one raised a brow. "Am I? I'm serious. Unless you act your age and go with what I say, my talons are going to loosen until you fall. I'm giving you until the count of three. One..."

The human felt herself jerk. Flia had lifted the outermost talons on her legs. In doing so, she had released Hazel enough to make her go lower by at least a couple inches. The woman also felt her friend's toes shake a little from the lessened support; her talons looked like they would give way without the support of the other two toes. Hazel feared that she would fall prematurely.

She looked up at Flia, expecting to see a hint of amusement. Instead, she saw seriousness. She knew that look anywhere. The _Pteranodon_ was not kidding at all.

"Two…"

The middle toes went up. Hazel yelped at the sudden drop. She looked at both sides, seeing that she was only hanging on by the last toes. Her lip quivered madly like it was having a spasm.

She then looked down. Doing so was definitely a bad idea. Not only was she at least a couple hundred feet in the air, but she was going over the one area she dared not venture to unless it was necessary. Right below her was a familiar enclosure with Cretaceous plants, a small pond, and several rocks that were recently added. It was a large enclosure, but the appearance of it was not what made her nervous. Rather, it was the resident who lived there. Lying on his belly next to the pond was a large carnivore with red skin and small horn studs all over his body.

Hazel gulped and felt the sweat fall down her brow. They were flying over Diablo's enclosure. He may be sleeping now, but if he woke up in time, and she was falling, she could end up in his jaws. If not, she could fall flat on the ground, dead from the broken bones and punctured organs.

"Three!"

"Okay okay okay! I'll talk!" Hazel shouted. Her sudden answer caused Flia to grip onto the girl's arms with the rest of her toes. The woman breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking back at the flyer, she saw a smirk crease on her beak. Her eyes twinkled with satisfaction, and it was one the human hated at the moment.

"Good. Now let's go someplace private," Flia said.

"Did you have to threaten me!?" the girl protested. "What, were you trying to kill me!? You could have used some other means to convince me to listen to you!"

"No Hazel!" the _Pteranodon_ shook her head. "I would never do that! But, it was the only way to get your attention. If I was going to punish you, I would have just left you at my nest for an entire night."

The woman huffed. Flia's nest was at one of the rocky outcrops near the very edge of the park. _Pteranodons_ usually nested in areas high above the ground and close to the sea. In Flia's case, she chose to be closer to the herd, and thus her extended family. Hazel had only been there once about a month ago, but she could see that she chose an ideal spot. Her nest was against the wall within a small alcove that was hard to get to, unless you were a skilled climber. The best way to get to it would be flying, were nimble like a lemur, or if you had special climbing gear.

"Hah! That the best you can do? A little time out isn't going to affect me," Hazel cackled. "I've got ways of escaping out of that."

"Well, I could leave you at my nest for a night," Flia smirked evilly. "Or I could convince Sarge to get you into one of his training regimes."

Hazel growled, her eyes lighting up with rage. Sarge the _Pachyrhinosaurus_ was always a battle nut. She had never seen his training sessions firsthand, but she imagined them to be vigorous and intense, at least for dinosaurs. But because she was a human, his training sessions could put a human in danger or injure them in some way. Flia had close ties to the herd, so something like that could be possible…and it was something the human preferred to stay out of.

"Let's just land already…" Hazel groaned in defeat. She thought back on her actions while they flew on. The outbursts she made sounded almost like childish nonsense, and were things that a 20-year-old like her would never say.

Hazel hoped this conversation would end soon so she would lock herself in her room to hide her embarrassment.

They flew on to the very edge of the valley in the next several minutes. The enclosures and the Residents below quickly turned into a vast open field, which eventually turned into an uphill forest with a hidden path. Hazel looked up and rolled her eyes. This was the route going to a specific place in the valley. It was recently discovered by her and Nigel before they went back to rescue Aladar and Neera's herd. However, when they went to the Late Cretaceous, they found the Herd knew about it long before they did.

The area they were approaching was a small grove set within one of the mountains. The area was small, but still large enough to accommodate a few large individuals. The very edge of the grove had the trees from the forest, which served as an outer wall. The small indentation on the ground in one of the corners was now filled with water; no doubt it was the result of a rainstorm that went over the park while she and Flia were in the Jurassic. The rock wall that spanned from the left to the middle of the small sanctuary had rocks that were sticking out from the mountain.

The one feature that stuck out to the duo the most was the skeleton of a full-grown _Iguanodon_ that lay etched within the wall. To anyone who knew of this valley as the Nesting Grounds from prehistory, they would know that skeleton as Old Gotama, one of Aladar's predecessors who helped found the valley.

Flia slowed her decent until she hovered above the grove by a few feet. The flapping of her wings caused the long grass blades to undulate in her wake. The _Pteranodon_ uncurled her feet, releasing her captive.

Hazel landed nimbly. The landing was smooth thanks to the shortened height distance as well as the soft pad of vegetation. When she stood back up, she witnessed Flia land right next to her, the grass licking against her wing membrane like little people worshipping a god. The two eyed each other, seriousness radiating in their features.

"Why'd we go here? Couldn't we just have gone somewhere else?" Hazel asked in a half-groan.

"I thought this place would be a good place to talk. It's private enough," Flia replied simply.

"Whatever. So if we're here to talk about yesterday, you know what I'm going to say. But I doubt either of us will budge," the girl stated the obvious.

The flyer said nothing. Rather than argue again with the time traveler, she switched her gaze to the horizon. Her calm demeanor transformed into one of content.

"Hazel, did I ever tell you what I was like when I first became a scout?"

The human, taken off guard, replied with uncertainty. "No. You never did."

Flia closed her eyes and chuckled. "I was young, naive, a little brash, headstrong, and maybe a little uptight. Whatever obstacle I came across, I did not stop until I saw it fulfilled. Nothing could hold me back at all, not even the protests of others," her gaze met hers with a warm smile. "In all honesty, I was kind of like you."

The Asian frowned. Flia was like her? She never even knew that. She never explained what she was like when she was younger. This new piece of information indeed surprised her, but she kept her opinions to herself to avoid any confrontation.

"When I first became a scout for the herd," the scout began. "I was thrilled to finally be a part of something bigger. I could finally put myself to good use. Whatever I did, I was praised for, at least for the most part. I was just barely into my adolescence when I was accepted into the herd...when Kron accepted me."

Hazel sputtered, which then turned into a scoff. "Kron? Pfft…I bet you went through a hectic interview process. Probably gave you a hard time like what he did to me."

The winged one met her with eyes that had a hint of hostility, even though she did not know what an interview was. The girl took a step back when she sensed that intimidation. She got the impression that the scout was defending the former leader of the herd. Flia had done so in the past when they first met on that plateau, but doing it again now was just mind-boggling. All assumption that Flia hated Kron the whole time faded away as the girl realized she had a respect for him at one time.

"Actually, it was the complete opposite. He welcomed me."

Hazel's mouth fell agape. "Say what now?"

"The Kron you met was changed by the land and of the Fireball. He was hardened by the burden of being a leader in a time that was too cruel in contrast to the relative peace we had years before. He was not always the stubborn, arrogant tyrant you knew him as. After all, younglings do not hatch as evil beings."

The girl scrunched her lips to the side. She did have a point there. She did hear of John Locke's Tabula Rasa, the theory that human beings were not born evil. Before Hazel received her communicator, she assumed that theory only applied to humans, but that changed after she met her friends. Now the theory encompassed all beings. Anyone is born innocent, but it is their actions and their surroundings that affect who they are.

"When I first met him," Flia continued. "He saw me as useful to him. I did not need to do much to prove myself. He was strict in his expectations, but much more amiable than recently. All he cared about was everyone's safety, which I supported as well. He would leave no herd member behind, whether they were young or old. In a way, he was like Aladar."

Hazel widened her eyes in shock. The _Pteranodon_ curved her beak into a little grin for a moment. "What? Kron? Like Aladar? I find that hard to believe."

"Ah you don't believe it now," Flia stifled a giggle. "But I knew it as fact. I was there. The routine was simple; I go out, report what I see to him, rest for a bit, and then resume. In return, I have individuals where I can rest on and then can call the Nesting Grounds as a home. It was a fair trade."

Her expression then took on an air of sorrow. "Then...there was a time when all that changed. I was off on a routine patrol, chasing off raptor packs here and there, trying to find places for the herd to rest, even a small puddle of water. When I found nothing, I returned to the herd, only to be met by a gruesome sight. I found the herd fleeing for one of the small canyons way beyond our usual route. Behind them was a small group of predators, much unlike the raptors we were used to. They looked like Carnotaurs, except they were smaller but a bit bulkier than Diablo's kind. _Chenanisaurus_ was what I heard they were called. Their coloration was different; having black spots on their backs, red necks, and brown hides. There was a gang of 15 of them chasing after the herd, some of which managed to get a couple of younglings, _Struthiomimus_ , and _Stygimolochs_. The dead were in a line, with their respective hunters devouring their bodies. The rest of the predators were attacking one of the other _Iguanodons_. I sped towards him, intent on helping him. From afar, I saw Kron and Bruton leading the herd away. When I got closer, I saw who was in the middle of the fray; Rudon, one of the herd's strongest fighters, and Bruton's older brother."

Hazel remained quiet as Flia told her tale. Hearing that there were smaller relatives of _Carnotaurus_ in Africa was nothing new; she read about them in one of her books some time ago. But the fact that Kron was once a benevolent alpha and not a cold-hearted tyrant to anybody around him was a shock. When she was a scout for him, she assumed that he had always been like that. Why the herd listened to him even though he had no regards for those left behind was beyond her. Perhaps it was because the Herd had no right to speak out against him because he was the leader. She never knew Bruton had a brother at all either. There were not many stories that went around regarding the relatives of the alphas, save for Neera and Kron from that last migration. Their family history was something that was best kept under a low-profile.

"He was wounded...badly," Flia winced at that last word. "He had a limp on one of his legs, and he was getting more sluggish each passing moment. I never thought I would live to see Kron's mentor be overcome by a horde of predators."

The human lifted an eyebrow. "Rudon was Kron's mentor? Like was he the previous leader?"

"Yes, he was his mentor. No, he was not a herd leader, though he did train Kron's predecessor before the former leader died from an illness."

Flia sighed and continued on. "I flew in to help him. I managed to attack three of them. Then, when he called out to me to escape, one of my wings was caught in the jaws of one of them. It shook me around, tearing apart my wing, before throwing me off. When I came to, I found myself on the ground; my wing was nearly torn with teeth marks. I tried to fly, but the pain in my wing overcame me. The predator that saw me rushed to me, I was trapped."

"Right when I was about to become that thing's dinner...something broadsided it. I was amazed to see Kron battling against that monster. He fought with all his strength, before using one of his spikes to end its life. It was then I managed to regain my footing, while ignoring the pain in my wing. When we both approached Rudon, we found him in a worse shape. We approached him, ready to take on the others, when he told us to stay away. We argued against him, being how stubborn we both were. But he pleaded us not to. He told us they would pick us off if we tried. When we looked in the distance, we saw more of them coming. Rudon's wounds were becoming worse the longer we waited. Kron could not stand how his mentor was appearing. From what I was told, he was the closest thing he had to a father; his real one had died from his wounds against another predator when he and Neera were younglings. Rudon's pleas reached our ears and we fled. But Kron was never the same after that. Rudon sacrificed himself so he could give the herd enough time to escape."

Hazel gasped. The realization of what Flia had been through hit her like a brick wall. This was exactly the same scenario that happened yesterday. The similarities were uncanny.

"I may have been crippled for a while, but I saw Kron change from the benevolent leader he was to something much...much colder. He tried to return to his old self, believe me, I've seen him try. But when he slowed the herd to accommodate the old and sick, it would take too much time to cross the desert and get to the Nesting Grounds. We lost many herd members along the way. Each one that fell behind told Kron the same thing; keep going, don't stop. The herd was more important. All of that only made Kron's mind ever harsher," Flia grimaced at the memories of Kron's transformation.

She turned to Hazel, confirmation beaming from her features. "I do not know if you and the other humans have this, but we herd members, and perhaps the rest of the Residents, have a way of determining whether an individual could go on or not. If they were sick, we could tell whether it was fatal or not."

It was then that Hazel understood. Now she knew why Kron was the way he was when they met. He had been turned from someone who put everyone's safety as a priority to someone who was torn apart by the sorrow of those left behind. He kept the herd moving onward because he only cared about those who were still surviving. The former alpha paid no heed to those left behind because of the emotional trauma of the others who told him to keep going. Kron was not cruel; he was only doing what was necessary.

That thought made Hazel think back to when Suzanne explained her views on Kron to her and Aladar, back when the new Herd leader had a fight against his rival Nero. Kron's conscience was clouded by the hardships he was going through as a leader. The landscape did not make things better for him either. So many dinosaurs in his herd fell to sickness, exhaustion, possibly natural disasters, and predators. He had no choice but to leave them behind because going back for them would mean putting the others in danger. He was taught to leave them, and it was a choice he had to live with.

This talk they were having was bringing upon a new sense of perspective for the young human. So dinosaurs and other creatures could tell when something would be able to survive or not by their appearance. Somehow, they could sense whether the individual would die from the disease they had. It sounded a little too fantastical, having this psychic sense, but it was another way of nature portraying itself to others. Perhaps that was what Kron knew too when he led the herd. He could tell if someone was sick or not, and deem them fit to survive or to be left behind. It was yet another dark side of the world they were in.

"In Joel's case," said Flia. "I sensed he would not survive even if we saved him because-."

"Because his illness was terminal," Hazel finished.

The _Pteranodon_ nodded, satisfied that her ward understood her reasons. "You see? That was why I could not disagree with Joel. That was why I respected his wishes. Plus, had we come in to help, we would not have survived, thus we would not be having this conversation."

The girl accepted her friend's words wholeheartedly. Flia could not save Joel because she knew what he had was fatal. And had they come in to save him, their chances of escaping were slim. Neither of them would survive. Even if they did, Joel's suffering would be prolonged. He would be in agony still, even with the medical advances of the 21st century. Hazel felt like an idiot for not reading between the lines.

She also felt shameful for demonizing Kron. She never knew his side of the story, of the hardships he went through. She was only focused on what was right in front of her, rather than seeing beyond that perspective. Neera knew about this too and yet she kept this from everyone else. Perhaps it was to prevent more conflicts from arising. The whole herd was against Kron's actions except for those who felt pity for him; her mate, Flia, and now Hazel herself. Kron's nieces and nephews barely knew their uncle but they only heard of the cruel deeds he did near the end of his life. Hazel hoped that their parents, especially their mother, would tell of the untold side of the former alpha. She may have had a little respect for him before several weeks ago, but now she looked at him in a more positive approach.

In the human's eyes, after everything he had been through, he was just a sad old man that became bitter over the years.

Hazel ran up to Flia, her arms surprisingly wrapped around the flyer's neck. The _Pteranodon_ lurched forward from the new weight on her body, yet she returned the gesture by wrapping her wings around the small human. Hazel let out sobs, letting her emotions run wild.

"I'm so sorry! I'm such an idiot! I promised I would be more accepting of everyone's survival thinking, but I was too stubborn! I never should have yelled at you!"

"Shh…it's okay Hazel. We were in a tough situation. Considering the hardships we went through and how you've been taking it, you're still getting used to things. Change doesn't happen in one night. ...I shouldn't have yelled at you either," Flia replied with empathy.

"I was too focused in completing the mission and saving Joel that I wasn't even thinking about our own safety! I'm just a dumb kid!" Hazel nearly mumbled her reply.

"No, you are not. You're young, and you're learning. You just need to be more aware of your surroundings. I am still upset about that elder's death, even though I did not know him. But I know enough that he sacrificed himself for a noble cause. He wanted this to die honorably; it was not our place to intervene."

Hazel pulled away, yet still remained in the _Pteranodon's_ embrace. Her eyes took on a shade of red and the tears fell continuously like small streams. She stifled a couple sobs and used a free hand to wipe her tears.

"Do you...do you think that...Aladar will...end up like Kron? You know, with him turning into Kron should something happen to-," she said in between her cries, but was then interrupted by Flia shaking her head.

"I hope not. Kron was alone. He had little support when he was leader. He only had Neera, Bruton, and at times me to turn to. Plus, it was his actions that led him down the path that eventually led to his demise. The herd did not understand what he was going through, neither of them did. I told Eema the situation, but she did not believe me. I eventually gave up."

Flia stroked Hazel's head, feeling the silken hair in her winged fingers. "Aladar is a different case. I doubt he would be led astray. The whole herd supports him, and they support each other. Should he fall into trouble, the two of us, the herd, our friends, his family, and everyone here in the valley, will be there to support him."

"I'll hold you to it," she sniffled. Hazel gave her a small smile and then pulled away from Flia. She looked out to the valley. It was getting quiet; she heard fewer roars and conversations. No vehicles were going around. The last of the Herd members were retreating back to the Valley Plains for the night.

"So, now what? We rescued a herd of _Diplodocus_ , we saved Woodstock and Clearwater, but we didn't get another _Allosaurus_ ," Hazel asked her partner on their next move.

The flyer chuckled, making the human give her an uncertain look. "Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing. This is our mission, but you are the one who is in charge. I am just there to keep you out of trouble. The decision is entirely up to you."

Hazel looked at Flia with a knowing smile. She did not need to think too hard about what her answer was going to be. And it was an answer that the sky scout was happy to agree with as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Early evening…Nigel's Den

After their heartfelt talk in Old Gotama's Grove, Hazel and Flia parted ways for the night, their plans for their next adventure burned into their minds. The _Pteranodon_ , being stressed the entire day, did not eat much at all. Her metabolism was halted by the flurry of emotions that went through her mind. As soon as the two were back at the main hub of the park, the pterosaur flew off to find some well-deserved dinner in the Valley Plains Lake.

As for Hazel, she immediately made her way to the one person who she could convene with about their decision. The darkening blue hues in the sky did not divert her away from her next task, nor did the cooling temperature. Passing into a large forested area a bit of a ways from the Holding Pens, she did not stop until she spotted a group of pavilions within the tree line. The girl climbed the stairs that led to the first one before traversing the wooden walkway leading into the office at the very end.

Finding Nigel in his office was easy. After all, there was where he usually went to document the day's progress along with working on his other plans. He wondered about her recent antisocial behavior, only to get the gist that everything had been resolved. When Hazel brought up the topic on why she was there, concern was drawn up to the park creator.

"So...you want to go back and try again with getting an _Allosaurus_?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. We got Charles' herd and the _Supersaurus_ family through the portal, but due to difficult circumstances, we were unable to rescue a single _Allosaurus_."

"Well, I don't see a reason where I will say no," Nigel said with hope in his tone. "Flia will still be with you, right?"

Hazel nodded again, feeling satisfied that he was about to grant her permission. "Yup, as always."

"When do you plan to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Nigel became surprised at her sudden answer. "Tomorrow? But, you just got here. Can't you at least just rest for one more day? Surely all that strain from traveling around the Jurassic for a few days is tiring."

The woman shook her head, determined to get this task done. "No, I want to go through with this now. Flia and I already discussed this. When we go back, we're rescuing the first _Allosaurus_ we see, regardless of species. _Allosaurus_ are known to live in small groups. Some live on their own. Considering Alyssa, I don't want her to be alone at all. I'd like to bring a companion back for her."

The man with graying hair contemplated on that thought. It did not take very long for him to give her a reply, and it was one she was happy with. "I see...well, as long as Flia is with you, I'm alright with it."

Hazel smiled with satisfaction. Finally, things were starting to go her way again. She hoped that this time, this attempt would be successful. The woman was going to do everything she could to make sure of that. Alyssa and her kind tend to live in small groups. They could live alone but eventually that mindset was going to wane. No, she did not want her to be like that.

Right when she was about to leave to get some dinner, something caught her eye on Nigel's desk. She looked over and saw a very peculiar picture of a fossil. The dull sheen of the paper and the faded colors used indicated that it was recently printed. Hazel's knowledge on where that picture was taken and who took it were rusty, but she would recognize that picture anywhere. It was of an _Allosaurus fragilis_ skeleton, and it was one of the most famous discoveries ever made in the late 20th century.

Hazel gasped, remembering that exact skeleton. She had seen it before when she saw that picture in one of her books. This skeleton was moved around quite a lot and was now on display in a museum near Zurich, Switzerland. This skeleton was that of Big Al and was found in the Morrison Formation. She knew it was Big Al because of the unusual growth on one of its toes, which she could clearly see in the photo; it looked like a tumor was growing on all sides of it. In addition, many rib skeletons were broken, meaning that this individual had been in a recent fight before it died.

Big Al was one of the forerunners when it came to all _Allosaurus_ discoveries. This fossil was one of the most complete skeletons ever found. Without this skeleton, there would not be any more information regarding this species. Scientists would not have known much about _Allosaurus_ at all if it were not for this one.

And this worried Hazel greatly.

"What's wrong?" Nigel asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.

"Nigel, we may have a bit of a complication."

"Oh? And that is?" he replied.

"I'm looking at your picture over there," she gestured with a movement of her head. He looked over and saw what she was looking at. "That fossil was found in the Morrison Formation, right? Big Al?"

"Indeed," the man confirmed.

His eyes went wide with realization. He put two and two together in a split second. "Oh, I see. You're worried about bringing this individual back by accident."

"Exactly. Is there any way to avoid that?" She inquired, hoping there was an easy fix to this situation. If she and Flia rescued Big Al, there would be terrible consequences on the timeline. The present they live in could no longer exist, or they would no long exist. Recent discoveries after Big Al would fade into oblivion. Who knows what would happen?

Nigel shot her a wink, which half unnerved her and half interested her in his answer. "Well it's easy. I know the exact place where this fossil was found, along with any other major finds related to _Allosaurus_. We just need to plot a location in the Time Poles that is not in that certain time and location. Problem solved."

Hazel breathed a sigh of relief. Her hand wiped a drop of sweat from her brow. "Okay. Phew...that's great," she then schooled her features to make herself look presentable. "So, before Flia and I set out, is there anything you need me to do here? I can stay a bit longer if you want me to."

Her mentor shook his head. "It's alright. We've handled everything smoothly during your absence. A few days more shouldn't be a problem."

"How's Alyssa? Last time I saw her, she was sleeping in her enclosure."

The park leader waved his hand dismissively. "She's fine. She's almost recovered. It won't be long before she's off those antibiotics. We'll have to schedule a tour for her sometime soon when she's better."

"Great. And the _Diplodocus_ , Woodstock, and Clearwater?"

Nigel gave her a thumb's up. "All doing fine. They've already toured around the park. Baylene is very fond of the lot, Charles especially. At least, that's what I heard from Bob. I also heard that Suzanne and her vets have already gotten to work on that young _Supersaurus'_ leg. It won't be long before he's walking properly again."

Hazel felt elated at that new revelation. She knew there would be some way to help Clearwater with his leg. The medical advancements in this century had certainly gone far since the 20th century. Her knowledge on medicinal therapy and anatomy may be limited, but she knew quite a bit on broken limbs. She herself had a broken arm and a set of fractured ribs after Nero had lashed out at her some time ago. Her arm may be recovered, but her ribs still ache from time to time, only when she is doing strenuous work.

Clearwater's case was a bit more complex, but she had high hopes that he would make a full recovery.

"Now, if you're leaving in the morning, I suggest you go and get some rest. You've got a long day tomorrow," Nigel suggested.

The budding leader nodded in acknowledgement before walking away. Her meeting went off without a hitch. Now that she finally got permission to back again, she could focus her attention on her goal much more easily. That and the new Residents she rescued were well taken care of here.

It was around this time when she heard her stomach rumble. It had been a while since she had a proper meal. If she was going to leave tomorrow, she would need to get her metabolism back up to par. Packing would not be much of a problem either. Flia's saddle was already in her room; one of the other employees had removed it from the pterosaur after their argument and placed it in front of her door that evening. She could pack some food from the café. Her water bottles all needed to be refilled. Then she would need to pack all the other essentials, including restocking on some bandages in case something goes wrong on the trip.

She hoped this last attempt would be better than the last.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nigel breathed out a quick sigh. He did not know when she was ever going to leave at all. When she arrived at his office, he was about to work on something that was only for his eyes. If she saw it too early, it would ruin what plans he had for her.

He reached for one of the drawers in the side of his desk and pulled. The top drawer was filled with many pencils, pens, erasers, and post-it notes. But he did not have any need for one of them. He took out a peculiar pebble-sized pin from within. It was slate-black, with a clear lens in the middle. On the back was a hole that was covered by a silicon covering. Taking one quick look at it, he saw a red light blinking above where the jack was located.

Hazel had no knowledge of this, but Nigel requested Marcus to make another camera for him so he could slip it on Hazel discreetly. It was much like the camera he put into her bag, but he figured that there would be times when he would not have enough time to administer the hidden camera in there. This one he put on her when she was not looking the first and second time she and Flia went back to the Jurassic period. It was when he had to sneak into her room both times that he had to take it off.

His reason was the same; to see what she was going through on her solo journeys. If he was going to document her excursions, he would have to do so discreetly. Putting it on her was easy. He just had to reapply the adhesive pad on the back after every use via the supply Marcus provided him. Telling her about it was another story. He knew she might not be happy, so he planned to tell her at the right time when it was necessary. Hopefully by then she would have an open mind.

Nigel opened up a larger drawer underneath his desk. Within was his trademark laptop and a wireless mouse. Taking both of those out, he placed them on his desk. He then dug into his pocket and took out a wire that looked like an auxiliary cord.

"Good thing I slipped this off her when she wasn't looking. Now I just need to get this one on her tomorrow again. I should really be in some special ops team in London for this," he said jokingly.

He spent the next two hours on his laptop, watching the recent excursions Hazel and Flia went through in the past. He was entertained, amused, and intrigued at what they came across, sometimes even taking notes on what he saw. What he had in store for the footage he was collecting would surely please everyone in the park, and perhaps Hazel too.

He had high hopes for that.

 _ **A.N.**_ _Well, at least things are going in the right direction. Baylene has some more friends to mingle with, not to mention she found out she's not the last, in terms of time. And yes, we put in some background for Flia, Kron, and a little on Bruton. We wanted to expand on their histories a bit. Now, when Hazel first arrived in the Late Cretaceous and met Kron, she saw him as an arrogant and selfish tyrant. Now, she did not get the full story as to why he was that way, until Flia told her. Flia, seeing how wrong things were going when she served under Kron over the years, defected over to Aladar's way of living. So yeah, like Hazel, we view Kron as a "bitter old man" who went through harsh experiences and never fully recovered from them._


	15. One Last Shot

_**Soundtrack: The Chase by Antti Martikainen**_

Alyssa broke out of her trance, her senses started to numb when she closed her eyes for the hundredth time. By her count, this was about the tenth time she found herself nodding off that night. While it was dark out and she already had her fill of meat, sleeping right now would be considered rude to the companion she was spending time with.

The sun had already set by the time Broken Jaw arrived. He made sure to come in when all of the humans left for the day. Per Alyssa's instruction, he kept himself out of sight by hiding in the nearby woods until all was quiet. If he were to come in when there were still humans around, they would get suspicious and may end up taking him in. The _Allosaurus lucasi_ wondered what they would do if he was caught, but he did not want to pull anything stupid, not in front of Alyssa.

Alyssa was happy to see Broken Jaw when he came up to her. The nearest enclosure to her was a considerable walk for anyone, so neither of them was worried about getting caught by other Residents. The only thing was she needed to hide her meals for the day, which meant she needed to fast, not that she did that before. Her diet included some little rocks that the humans called vitamins that she needed to eat with her meals .They said she would get better by eating them. So to help herself, she only ate a little bit throughout the day while eating those vitamins.

Those vitamins tasted bitter to her, but it was balanced out by the juicy, soft savory taste of the meat. The woman named Suzanne told her she was going to eat them for the next seven days. Alyssa hoped it would end soon, for she did not know how much longer she could stand the taste of the vitamins.

Things got better when she and Broken Jaw sat next to each other at the edge of the enclosure. Due to the odd poles that were stationed on the parts of the enclosure, along with the strange ring on her leg that she found on herself that morning, Alyssa was unable to properly sit closer to the edge of the wooden barrier due to the sharp shocks she would receive if she got too close. She inquired the same keepers that applied it to her that morning, but only heard them say "it was for her safety". The huntress kept wondering about the ring and the poles for the next couple of hours, but brushed it aside when she decided to ask Hazel about it. None of the other keepers were saying much, so she hoped the youngest employee would give her an answer.

She and Broken Jaw shared the meals they acquired that day. They had the large turkey that Alyssa saved and some slabs of steak that Broken Jaw got from Caius and Flit during their last raid. Their time together was a rather enjoyable one, where they shared stories of their childhood, the exploits they went through, and other such stories.

But as time wore on, Alyssa found herself getting tired with the conversation. She thought she would have a fun time getting to know the handicapped carnivore, but she found it became less enjoyable due to him always talking about himself.

"So there I was, about to grab a little bite off of that youngling's leg, when suddenly...wham! The mom comes in and nearly spiked me with her tail! Good thing it was just right next to me; she missed by a longshot!"

Alyssa hid her waning enthusiasm with a fake smile. "Wow...you fought her off?"

"Sure did!" he bolstered. "But she was too slow because of a bad leg she had. I knew the area like the back of my tail. I lured her over to one of those huge cracks in the ground with the mad skills I had. I got her pissed off and then she charged at me. Thanks to my quick moves, I leaped out of the way; she fell down that crack, and couldn't get up. Then I broke her neck with ease. My friends and I had a feast that lasted for weeks. It was the best kill ever."

The female predator stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Though she was intrigued he did that at a young age, the conversation was already getting a bit boring.

"Impressive. And you were only a teenager?"

Broken Jaw nodded enthusiastically. "Yup."

"That sounds a lot more reckless than what I've done at your age. I was only out trying to get some sizeable prey, but never going after something so armored or even bigger than me. Then again, I was always cautious when I was younger," said Alyssa, who tried to uphold the conversation by including some aspects of herself.

The mangled-one chuckled, enamored by the way she told her story. Alyssa was only slightly amused by her own exploits, but not so much. Silence fell on them for several moments. The awkward silence became thick like fog, creating a sense of uneasiness. Not wanting to remain in that state, Alyssa cleared her throat, ready with a new topic.

"I'm...not that great of a fighter."

Broken Jaw gaped at her. "What?"

Alyssa gulped. "I've always stayed out of fights, the ones involving others of my kind. At least, I try to. The last few times I fought was just to claim some food, but those have been lucky. Either my rival tripped, went the wrong way, or I just got a lucky shot to bite at their neck. But I never won a fight against someone better than me."

It was true. As strong as she was, the grey-clad carnivore always stayed away from conflict as much as possible. The first few times when she did fight against another one of her kind, she nearly ended up skewered by a _Stegosaurus_ that was nearby. She barely got out of it with only a few scratches and a fractured leg, but her escape resulted in the loss of her dinner. Alyssa was young at the time, but since then, she did her best to stay out of fights as much as possible.

Broken Jaw, on the other hand, would fight tooth and nail for some dinner, even if it was someone bigger than him. As such, he felt appalled by something like this.

"Well why didn't you say so? I could teach you."

Alyssa almost gawked. "Really? You could?"

"Yeah! You're looking at a guy who beat up someone bigger than him," he replied proudly.

The Grey Skin gave him a disbelieving gaze. He did just talk about his battle against a creature known as a _Torvosaurus_ , but the way he told it showed that he had a hard time fighting it, twice. "But...didn't you say you had help from Hazel and Flia?"

He choked on a breath. The stammers he made turned into incomprehensible gibberish. His eyes moved quickly, from the female to the darkness beyond, and back. Had it been lighter outside, Alyssa would have seen his skin get a bit moist from the tepidness he felt. "Um...well they only helped a little, but I did all the work."

The female rolled her eyes and lightly chuckled. He may be a decent fighter, but judging from his story, she would rather learn from someone more experienced. "Well, I appreciate the help."

Broken Jaw raised his head smugly. "No problem."

Alyssa's impatience began to wear thin. As much as she enjoyed being around another _Allosaurus_ , this conversation was starting to get uninteresting. She attempted to talk a little about herself just a few moments ago and see if he could kindly help her, but all she got was some doubt and lies. But, she was not a rude individual. Might as well let him have the spotlight.

Though the next question she wanted to ask was a bit personal for him. There was one thing she always wondered about, but did not want to bring it up earlier in fear of hurting him. She took in a breath and spoke, hoping he would not feel apprehensive on the subject.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, but how did you get the name Broken Jaw? I know it's because of your...injury, but how did you get that?" she looked at him curiously, specifically at the broken line on his mouth.

The male was stunned before becoming downplayed. "Oh...yeah. This thing," he pointed to himself with a free talon. "Long story short, I got into a scuffle against a _Supersaurus_ named Woodstock. Funny enough, she and her kid are here in the valley; the same one who made me look like this. I was looking to see if I could take her down myself when she managed to swipe her tail at me. I jumped at the wrong time..."

Alyssa felt a tinge of sadness inside. She had no idea he went through something like that, especially at a young age. Not to mention the one who made him look like that now was living in the park. Now she could not help but feel ashamed for considering him as annoying.

"My mom came over. I called out to her, hoping she could help me. I was in so much pain...but she refused. Red Sand, the notorious Allo that claimed herself as the strongest in her kind. The one I thought could protect me, hold me close from anything so dangerous. She left me there, claiming my new injury as a weakness. She told me she would not waste any time looking out for someone like me; I was a waste of her energy. The last thing she taught me before she left was that the world was a cruel place, one where the weak die while the strong survived. "

"That's horrible. I'm so sorry..." she consoled. Though she had no idea who Red Sand was, she knew she was someone that was best avoided according to him.

"I hated her and my family since then," Broken Jaw barely restrained his anger. His teeth shown through the cracks in his lips, ready to snap at anything that came too close. "But, if they never left, I wouldn't have found Caius and Flit. They taught me how to survive when she could not. They looked out for me as I grew up. In a way, they were like parents to me."

Alyssa looked at him comfortingly. The male welcomed the sight with a small smile passed his mangled appearance. "Well, I'm glad they found you. No mother should ever treat their children like that. My mother left me because I was old enough to look after myself. I was only a year old. In our kind, we only look out for our children until they were old enough to go on their own. The only time we stay with our parents is if they were looking to make a pack. They would give us a chance to see if we wanted to or not. But for younglings, if they were sick or injured, we would try our best to help them. But if they were beyond help...well, you can probably get where I'm going."

Broken Jaw half-laughed, half-sighed. His reaction unnerved Alyssa a bit, as he kind of appeared to be offended a little, when in reality, he was not. "Yeah, I get it. But you had it better than me. You had siblings to talk to, even fight with. You had a mom who was protective. And you lived in a place that was a lot better than mine. You had a better life."

The huntress shook her head. While Broken Jaw's life sounded hard, hers was no better. Maybe she had an easier time, but life in the Salt Plains was always a difficult one. They still had to scrounge for food and water, not to mention they lived in a landscape that scorched their backs 24/7. "No. Don't compare yourself to me. You had it good too; a few obstacles, yes, but you had those that looked out for you. You grew up to be strong, you were able to hunt your own food, and you survived the toughest times. I wish I had someone looking out for me after I grew up. I was forced to survive on my own. You had the luxury of having guardians, I didn't."

"Heh. I guess you're right."

Alyssa's maw gaped open, her body giving up with resisting the sleep coming on her. "Well, I'd better get some sleep. It's pretty late. Thanks for sharing your food with me."

"Don't mention it," he said as he watched her lay her head onto the ground.

"Why don't you just tell the humans here the truth?" she mentioned, thinking of the situation Broken Jaw and his companions were in. From the last few days she had been in the park, the humans here were compassionate and loyal. They would go out of their way to look out for anyone here, so long as it was appropriate and benefitted everybody. "Tell them that you and your guardians are here and are seeking refuge? I'm sure they'd understand."

The hunter shook his head. The slight distrust he had on the dominant mammals shown on his features, though it was mostly on the lack of knowledge on them. Hazel may have cared for him in the past, but he had no idea what these humans were like. "Nah, I don't know about that. Caius would kill me for disobeying him."

Alyssa shrugged; her attempt at breaking the ice between him and the humans was again put on hold. "Okay then, it was just a suggestion." She let out yet another yawn before letting sleep overpower her. "Goodnight…Broken Jaw…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was not long before the sound of soft snores filled the air. The sleeping form of Alyssa lay peacefully next to the wooden barricade, just mere inches from the barrier of the Perimeter Poles. Broken Jaw sat there, quietly observing the female. His eyes drifted over her graceful body. Such strong muscles in such a lean build. She claimed to be a weak fighter when she looks like she could take on anything if she put her mind to it.

The _Allosaurus_ male felt a tug within. He wanted to stay by her side instead of going back to the hovel with his friends. He enjoyed the time they had tonight. The talks they had eased his aching chest on his past burdens. Here was a female he could relate to, someone who would not leave him because of his deformity. If only he could be closer to her without this wooden fence…

Seconds turned into minutes. Broken Jaw found his gaze stuck on the female he just met when he first arrived here. Every time he looked at her, he found his inside palpitating. Why was he so entranced by her? Why did she have this effect on him? What was this feeling? It did not feel like fear. He was not scared of her. Excitement was not the best way to describe it.

Whatever it was, it would not leave him. And it only got worse whenever he was away from her. This…longing was like a bug that kept coming back for more of his blood.

Maybe once, just this once, he could stay with her. He could not get close enough due to these wooden poles. Breaking them down would attract too much attention. But, perhaps if he could just get close enough, so he could just touch her.

He motioned his tail through one of the gaps. He worked his way until he was close enough to hers. Her tail lay curled up on the other side. Slowly, but gently, he curled his around hers.

Yes, her soft touch. It invigorated him! His insides jumped at the feel of her warmth. It was not an embrace, nor was it a nudge, but it was close enough. Was this what it was like to be with a girl? If it was, he hoped this feeling would not end.

Sadly, it did. One brief moment and it was over. Alyssa's tail flicked away from his, only for it to be brought closer to her chest.

The rushing feeling inside him dropped. His insides fell like a rock. In its place was apprehension and anxiety. Did she know he was touching her? Did she not like it? Why did she do that?

He looked over at her, only to find her sleeping. If there was any indication that she was uncomfortable by his move, she made none.

Broken Jaw sighed. Whatever it was, subconscious or not, that moment showed that she was not ready. He was too quick in trying to get her to be with him. It was by luck she was still asleep, otherwise this would have been much worse.

The golden warrior got up. He quietly turned tail, towards the Valley Plains. There was no point in staying here if he felt this way. Perhaps the next time they meet, things would be better.

He felt his insides drop further and further. That sense of longing returned. Each step he took away from her only made his sadness grow. He wanted to fight it; bite it on its head so it would bother him no more. But how could he fight something he could not see?

Broken Jaw walked on, letting his insides burn. He was not going to have good sleep tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa snapped an eye open. She quickly brought her head up, searching around for any sign of Broken Jaw.

She breathed a relieved sigh when she found herself alone. The only companions she had now were the darkness and the sounds of the night. The wind rustling through the trees in the distance and the bugs quietly chattering filled her ears. This was company she could deal with any day.

The whole Broken Jaw remained there, she pretended to sleep. Her motives were to wait for him to leave and to not hear of any more of his self-centered stories. Honestly, for someone who never met a girl before, he had no idea how to act around her. As much as she felt pity for him, she was still uncomfortable with how he was acting.

Alyssa felt him grasp her tail around hers. That was perhaps the most uncomfortable feeling she's ever felt. Someone whom she had no feelings for tried to get close to her. It was like a load of burning rocks digging their way into her chest. Why did she allow him to do that? She should have just pushed him away!

Then again, he did not know any better.

"No, I'll let this slide, but I will not let him do that again," she decided. "I'm sorry Broken Jaw. I know you want us to be more, but I do not see us going down that path."

Alyssa looked up to the sky, her eyes attached on the small lights above her. In her mind, she knew she was right. And her gut feeling followed as well. Sometimes, her thoughts would betray her and lead her to trouble, like what happened when she got caught in the mud bank before. But she always listened to her gut. That was how she was able to survive.

Right now, her gut was telling her he was not the one.

The huntress gazed at the small twinkling lights. Her thoughts drifted to how things would fare tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. She thought of how she would tell him; how they were not meant to be. But she also thought of how he would feel. Alyssa shuddered at the thought of hurting him. She wished there was an easier way, but there did not seem to be any.

Alyssa hoped this ordeal would end soon. If she made one wrong move, he could see her as a potential enemy.

She hoped it did not have to be like that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jurassic Period…145 million years ago

Mid-afternoon

Hazel submerged her face into the cool, life-giving water. Her skin welcomed the feel of the aquatic salvation from the Jurassic heat. All the dirt and sweat she accumulated from her journey melted away when she scrubbed her face with her hands.

The woman brought her face up, gasping for air. Her face dripped with liquid, the hot wind that used to batter her skin now cooled her off after her wash. The strands of hair that did meet the water were soaked, but she paid little mind to them. If anything, her wet hair helped her stay cool in the searing heat.

It had been a day since she and Flia left Prehistoric Park. Nigel was true to his word when he said he would transport them to an area that was far from the Morrison Formation. A little less than 50 miles seemed like a sufficient distance from any future fossil sites. The land here was greener than the Salt Plains. Patches of dry forest spread throughout the area. Cycads, ferns and other Jurassic plants covered the earth here and there. Large lakes and ponds served as congregation sites for many thirsty dinosaurs, both herbivorous and carnivorous. From what the two time travelers noticed, the ponds and lakes they went over were not like the Water Hole of the Salt Plains were violence was prohibited. Hunters would take down their prey wherever they congregated, regardless of location. The abundance of water north of the Salt Plains brought about more promise in resources, so there was a reduced need to protect resources. This put the two of them on high alert for predators whenever they landed.

Hazel and Flia had been flying for 24 hours, only stopping to rest for a while before continuing on. From what they heard from passersby, they were once again in a dry season. However, because this place was away from the Salt Plains, there was enough food for the dinosaurs, at least until the dry season reached its peak. They were exhausted. There were many more dinosaurs here than in the Salt Plains. Some of which they recognized, like the _Camarasaurus_ , _Barosaurus_ , and _Stegosaurus_. Others were harder to decipher and would take several minutes for Hazel to determine. One of which was a small herd of _Apatosaurus_.

They looked similar in appearance to a _Diplodocus_ , except they were shorter in length, bulkier in girth, and lacked the posterior spines that would run along their backs. They also lacked the speckled patterns that their longer cousins had on their backs, giving them a smooth orientation. Instead, they had faint spots along their backs that Hazel would have equated to a modern day jaguar.

A migrating herd such as this provided some promise to the two scouts. They would have seen a lot during their migration. Their conversation with the leader was short, but to the point. The leader, an elderly woman from what they could tell, told them all they needed to know. There were _Allosaurus_ that lived around the lake they left behind that morning. The two of them happily took that into consideration and flew off, ignoring the curious thoughts of the female alpha as to why they would look for something so dangerous.

So far, the only predators they encountered were the usual ones. There was a small pack of _Ceratosaurus_ that was gorging on a baby _Stegosaurus_ carcass, a _Tanycolagreus_ that was stalking alongside a nearly dried up pond for any leftover food and even two baby-blue colored _Stokesosaurus_ that were fighting for reasons that were beyond them. The only new creature they encountered under a more subtle, but sorrowful circumstances were the dried-up corpses of a flock of _Palaeopteryx_ , which Hazel took quite a while to identify due to how deteriorated they were. The poor creatures already lost much meat from previous scavenging; their orange-golden feathery plumages were dilapidated from time under the elements. The tiny bird-like dinosaurs could have died from anything ranging from starvation, dehydration, or sickness. The two of them left forth with.

The travelers followed the directions of the _Apatosaurus_ and finally made it to the lake she spoke of by mid-afternoon. It was out in the open and included much fertile vegetation. Numerous dinosaurs were either wading in the waters or drinking in the sustenance. They immediately started asking around for any sign of their target carnivore. The _Dryosaurus_ that were there earlier were a bit skittish with the mention of such predator and fled from the duo, much to their dismay. A small group of _Othnielia_ was taking a drink at the other side of the shore; a few other individuals were looking in all directions for any signs of danger. Again, they asked them and fled to the other end of the lake when they perceived such predator to coming for them.

There was a lone _Apatosaurus_ that separated from its group for a quick drink that arrived not too long after. The duo approached the individual and asked the same question. In contrast to the jittery ornithopods, the gentle giant male told them in all honesty. He had no recollection of seeing an _Allosaurus_ when he and his herd arrived. Again, they were hit with disappointment and left on their way.

The next dinosaur they came across at the lake was a lone stegosaurid that Hazel quickly identified as _Alcovasaurus_ due to it being significantly smaller than its larger cousin _Stegosaurus_. The other feature that distinguished it from its more famous relative was that it had a sharp row of spines that began from the middle of its back down to its tail. This individual had a dark grey undertone with dull brown vertical stripes along its back, where the spines and the plates were connected.

Coming right next to them was a _Stegosaurus_ couple, which the two of them quickly moved out of the way to avoid any unnecessary confrontation. Hazel, determined as she was, managed to ask them if they saw any _Allosaurus_ recently. Their hopes skyrocketed when they were told they encountered one just recently while they were having a…private conversation. Not wanting to know what the couple was talking about, the two of them departed into the dry woods in search of their target.

Their search paid off when they found their target in a clearing a couple miles from the lake. The trees were a direct contrast to the nearly dead trees they encountered back at the Water Hole in the Salt Plains. Palms and gingkoes grew in clusters, providing a near-tropical oasis in the desert heat. Hazel and Flia landed on one of the barren gingko branches, observing the one thing they had been looking for ages. The tree limb was strong enough to support them despite the wood being nearly brittle. The shade of the leaves above them offered slight cover from the sun, but not from the predator's eyes.

"Oh my God, yes!" Hazel squealed in a loud whisper. She nearly fell off the branch in excitement and had to regain her balance by crouching. "An _Allosaurus fragilis_!"

The creature they had finally seen under a better circumstance was indeed an _Allosaurus_ _fragilis_. The slate grey skin, the vertical black stripes on the ribs, the brilliant red crests, it was definitely that creature. This one looked smaller than her but it seemed well into its adulthood. Although it was not a _lucasi_ like Broken Jaw, the one species that Hazel and Flia were after in their previous trip to the Jurassic, this one would certainly work for them. Alyssa could connect better with an individual of her own species.

"What were the chances we'd find one this fast?" Flia commented offhandedly.

Their observations took on wonder when they saw the individual making the most unusual sounds they had ever heard. What they were hearing was more of a bark than a roar. The deep tone was like some playing a broken trombone with a muffler, except the pitch wavered with highs and lows. The _Allosaurus_ barked in all directions, and the two of them had to duck in order to prevent themselves from being seen.

"What is it doing? Either it has indigestion or it is choking on something," the _Pteranodon_ inquired.

Hazel scrunched her lips. This one did not look sick in any way. There were no signs of any ailments on its body. So why was this one acting this way?

One look at the ground in front of the carnivore caught her vision. It was a small mound, irregular in shape. The objects were conical and had an erratic texture. The human raised her eyebrows. She would know the distinct appearance of scat anywhere. She wondered whether this was the predator's or not. If it was standing in front of it, was this what was causing it to act this way?

Then, they saw a shape come from the very left. Out of the brush came another _Allosaurus_. Like the one that was calling, this one had all the same color patterns, confirming the same species. The only difference was that this one was larger by a few feet, and was at least two feet taller. The slimmer build and the yawn it gave off presented itself as a female.

"Oh I get it," Hazel gasped in realization. "The one that's making those sounds is a male. He's doing a mating call. He's succeeded in attracting that female over…but she looks big." The girl took on a tense expression. "I hope he knows what he's doing."

The female stopped before the male and observed him. He kept on making his calls, but her predatory eyes scanned every aspect of him. They saw her make comments here and there, but none of them could hear her either from being too far away or how softly she was speaking. No doubt she was making her judgement of this possible mate.

When they saw her walk away, they assumed rejection. The two girls shrugged; this mating did not go well for this male. But while they accepted this outcome, the male did not. Their mouths fell open when they saw him approach and call out in a louder frequency.

"What in the-? Can't that guy take a hint? She frigging said no!" Hazel waved her hands madly. She had observed flirting in the past and she knew full well of a girl's judgement. A guy going after a girl after she said no was a bad move.

"This can't end well…" Flia groaned, covering her eyes with her left wing.

The scouts saw the female turn and roar at the male. The unmistakable shout of "Scram shrimp! Not interested!" rung in their ears. But the male did not listen. He took another step, with his call sounding longing once more.

The next few moments were filled with dust and roars, both painful and irritated. The young male was knocked to the ground before he was beaten by stomps, scratches, and a couple of bites. The female twirled around thrice, bringing her message out in the harshest manner. She gave him one final stomp before storming away, leaving the poor male in agony.

The dust cloud settled, and the girls took in the aftermath. The male was on the ground, his body having a couple of large scratches. When they saw him get up, they saw his right arm hung limply. They feared the worst for him.

"I knew it…" Flia sighed after lowering her wing.

"Oh God…we'd better see if he's okay," Hazel gasped.

The two of them took off, making their way closer to the traumatized male. They landed on another barren branch, this time just a mere ten feet from the defeated warrior. Right when he was about to walk away, the human called out to him.

"You know, when a girl says no, she really means it."

The grey carnivore stopped in his tracks. He turned around and looked at them; his fierce yellow eyes bore into their souls. Flia shuddered at the sight of this fierce hunter looking at her. They may be on a branch that is high enough from this stranger jumping for them, but from her last encounters with _Allosaurus_ , they are persistent killers. He could just as easily knock them down by hitting the tree. As for Hazel, she calmly stared back at him. A defeated carnivore should pose no harm to them.

"Oh, this day just keeps getting better and better!" he laughed in a sarcastic sense. His tone was deep and had a bit of an edge to it; he was like a warrior that had seen much over the years that had affected his mind. "First I get my ass dumped by a hot girl, and now a couple of imaginary bystanders are mocking me. What's next? The trees start walking?"

The human quickly replied, ignoring that last snarky remark. "Well if they did start walking, then that would be really interesting," she chuckled before becoming serious. "No, we're real all right."

"Real or not, I don't want your company. Just buzz off and leave me be."

"Well we could...," Hazel pretended to sound aloof. "But then you'd miss out on getting some much needed treatment. We saw that little scuffle. She beat you up good..."

The _Allosaurus_ growled threateningly. Hazel felt movement behind her. She did not have to look back to know that Flia got into a defensive stance. The human herself was a bit intimidated, but she did not want to appear weak in front of this predator. They were trying to rescue him after all.

"Listen, from where we're looking, your wounds look pretty bad," Hazel reasoned. "If you'd like, we can help you."

"Help?" he huffed in amusement. "Why would you want to help? Don't you know I can just turn you inside-out without a second thought?"

"It's out of the goodness of our hearts. Why would you pass up this opportunity to get better? Don't you want to get back up to your fit self?"

He looked away and took on an air of contemplation. Even from where they were, they could sense his uncertainty on their offer. Flia looked to Hazel, who kept a calm demeanor despite the odds that were against them. If this predator refused, there was a chance he could either walk away from them or view them as prey.

"Hazel, are you sure you want to go through with this?" the _Pteranodon_ questioned while the _Allosaurus_ mulled over this opportunity.

The human gave her a knowing glance; the flyer quieted without opposition. Hazel's determination shown in her features. She could not afford to give up now. They have already found the target they were looking for and to leave him would mean the mission would be a failure.

"Don't worry; we're not going to hurt you. We just want to help," she told him.

He stared at them inquisitively for a moment. He then resigned to the offer, and agreed. "Fine."

"On one condition," Hazel added. Her addition made the carnivore perk his head up in slight annoyance. "You refrain from hurting or eating us."

He raised a brow, appalled. "And why would I go along with that?"

The girl tried to hide all traces of a smirk, but failed at making a small one appear. "It's because we have some friends that could crush you or tear you apart without a second thought. A couple of them are carnivores much bigger than you."

This made the handicapped dinosaur gasp. He took one step back; the threat of having to fight something larger than him sent shivers down his spine. The grey hunter looked all around, trying to find any trace of the "large killers" that could slaughter him should he harm these strange beings. He sniffed the air, only to get the same result. There were no other large carnivores or herbivores in the immediate area, save for the ones in the lake nearby.

He gave the duo another look, this time out of curiosity. Hazel sat back and took in the feeling of being observed. After meeting Alyssa, she knew that _Allosaurus_ _fragilis_ were predators that were curious in nature and would only attack a new species they deemed to be harmless. And with the false threat she gave him, he should be able to refrain from hurting them. Hazel hoped he would call her bluff.

Her hunch was confirmed when he gestured them to come over. "Do what you have to do."

"Promise you won't hurt or eat us?" Hazel reiterated.

"I swear on my ancestors," he promised with a nod.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next several minutes were spent on treating the wounds on the _Allosaurus_. Hazel remained behind to make her observations while Flia went off to get some wet leaves near the pond to help clean the injuries. They had him lie on his stomach so he could get his strength back AND so that the human could make her "rather crude" diagnosis. So far, the only thing she was seeing were a few large scratches on his torso, but nothing too major. The small scratches on his legs could easily be dealt with the bandages she brought. However, she had yet to inspect the predator's arm that she saw limping.

"So...who are you? And what are you?" the predator inquired while she made her observations on his body.

She looked at him with a glance before resuming her investigation on the gash on his chest. She was literally under his head; the perfect place for him to snatch her up for a meal. The only thing that prevented that was her threat. Her right hand absently fell onto the dagger that she retrieved from her bag as soon as Flia departed to get the wet leaves. "Name's Hazel. My flyer friend is Flia. I'm a human and she's a _Pteranodon_. We're not exactly from here."

He pouted knowingly. "I can see that..."

"And you are?" she asked him.

The predator snorted and looked away from her. "You'd rather not know."

Hazel folded her arms then shifted her weight. "Why not?"

"My name's…embarrassing," he replied.

"Oh? Your name is 'Embarrassing'?" she replied in a joking manner. "Nice to meet you!"

He glared at her. Baring his teeth, he tried to resist the urge to rip her in half for her amusement. "I was kidding…"

"I know," she giggled. "I just wanted to lighten the mood. Your name's probably not as bad as a few others I knew of…like Shirley."

The _Allosaurus'_ eyes bulged. "Shirley?"

Hazel raised her hands for a moment. Bringing up the topic on the deceased _Torvosaurus_ was a story that may confuse him. The chances that this guy knew anything about life in the Salt Plains or the Water Hole were slim to none. She could try to explain it to him, but decided against it to avoid any further confusion. "It's a long story."

He stared at her for a moment longer before letting out a defeated sigh. The condition he was in along with the threat this human gave prevented him from making any proper actions himself. Hazel awaited his answer…and became interested when he replied. "Um…it's Alekanekelo."

"Okay. Nice to meet you Alekaneko," she stopped herself at saying his name incorrectly. The memory of him saying his name started to go blank in her mind. "Er…I mean Alekinako…Uh…Alekopele…Alekanekopele…"

This went on for at least another minute. The Asian slapped her forehead in frustration at each failed attempt to get the name right. She was always terrible at pronouncing long names correctly. If she was paying any attention to her patient at all, she would have seen him snicker at her failed attempts.

"Ugh!" she groaned in frustration at the tenth time of saying his name wrong. "I'm sorry, I'm so terrible. Is it okay if I call you by a nickname?"

Alekanekelo gave her a surprised stance. "Um…sure?"

Hazel heaved a relieved breath. There was one name she could think of for him, and it would fit him perfectly. "Good. From now on, I'm calling you Big Al, just for ease's sake. Or…just Al."

The predator sputtered in indignation, slightly offending the human that dubbed him. "What? That sounds like a stupid name."

Her eyes narrowed with annoyance. "No it's not. It's actually cool where I'm from."

" _I just named you after a famous fossil that's the same species as you…"_ she mused in her mind.

"Al" squinted at her. His predatory gaze fell once again on the human's innocent eyes. Hazel could see he did not like the name, but she gave it to him just so she would have an easier time with him or until she got adjusted to his real name. If she told him what he was named after, he could get upset for being named after an individual that died from a foot injury. That and the schematics of paleontology would easily bore him. No, the least he could do would be to feel somewhat appreciated that she and Flia were doing what they can to heal him.

Big Al…or in Hazel's case Al, pouted. "Fine...Big Al...I'm not even that big."

As he went on to complain about his new name, Hazel turned around at the sound of large flapping wings. Descending before them was Flia, who had a large clump of dripping, zamia leaves. Hazel quickly retrieved the leaves in her arms and then went straight to the muttering patient. The _Pteranodon_ landed with a thump and rushed over to her side.

"Alright, hold still. We're going to put these on," Hazel said.

The _Allosaurus_ complied and allowed them to place the cool, soaked leaves on his bare skin. He had to lie on his side to prevent the leaves from slipping off.

"So, everything okay here?" Flia asked the two of them.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Hazel reassured. "Al here is a pretty competent patient," her attention was diverted to the victim, specifically towards the right arm that lay far from their reach. "Can you move your arm?"

The _Allosaurus_ tried to lift it, but was besieged by an obvious pain that showed on his features. His teeth were bared and his breathing became sharp. The limb barely moved.

"I can't," he winced with a growl. "It hurts when I try to."

Hazel nodded in confirmation. "As I thought, either your arm is torn, dislocated, or it's broken. I'm not sure if we can fix it, but we do know some people who can."

Al chuckled, oblivious to how serious his condition was. "Wha? This thing? Nah, a little bit of rest and some food and I'll be fine."

The human placed her hands on her hips. Her face contorted into one of slight indignation. "You can't dismiss this Al. If nothing is done, then your arm could become infected. It could hinder your hunting prowess. You might not be able to get anything with that temporary handicap."

The hunter let the warning slip passed him. From his standpoint, this human being was sounding like a mother scolding her child. He stood up, annoyed at how she was acting. The leaves that were draped on his fell off with a splat.

"I think I'll take my chances," he winced from the pain of his wounds before giving them a quick farewell. "Thanks for the assist. I'll be off now."

"Wait!" Flia hollered, lifting a wing up to stop him. "You can't go out with your condition like this!"

"Watch me-OW" he cried out in pain. Al grasped his limp arm with his free claw. He hissed under his breath at the sudden movement he made with his limb when he jerked it. He could not help but roar in agony either. Al let out a shivered breath, the pain in his claw still fresh in his mind.

Hazel shook her head at the _Allosaurus_ who was too stubborn to accept his injuries. "Well, trying to convince you to stay put won't work. How about we make a wager?"

"A wager?" Al raised an eye ridge at her.

The human nodded. "Yup. If you manage to get some food with the new handicaps you have, then you can ignore the offer we gave you for a new place to live AND some much needed treatment for your wounds. In addition, we'll leave you alone."

"New place?" Al turned to them, interested in the new development. "What new place? You never mentioned an offer to live elsewhere."

The girl smirked, almost mischievously. "That we will tell you more about if you decide to go along with this. Now, if you don't get your food by night time, you'll have to come with us."

Flia, apparently concerned with how her ward was handling this, pulled her aside. Al looked on at them, stunned as to what would cause the giant flyer to act this way. The _Pteranodon_ expressed her worries in a whisper. Her wing covered the both of them to serve as privacy from the audience of one giant predator.

"Hazel, are you sure about this? You're forcing him to come to Prehistoric Park without his approval!" she pointed out. Her response came in the form of a reassuring pat on the beak.

"Don't worry, Flia. I know what I'm doing."

The girl ducked under the pterosaur's wing. She rushed back to the waiting carnivore, leaving her gaping guardian behind. Hazel stood before Al, all confidence returning to her features.

"Sorry about that. So…do we have a deal?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile…back in Prehistoric Park

Broken Jaw slipped closer towards the sunlight, keeping his form just within the darkness of the forest. His golden hide was barely noticeable in the shade considering it was early afternoon. His feet cautiously stepped over any fallen leaves, careful not to make too much sound. His open maw showed his sharp teeth, saliva dripping down as he tried to sate his hunger. He was a hunter on the prowl; his targets were within his line of sight.

Today had been mixed-up for the _Allosaurus lucasi_. At first, it started off as innocent. He met with Alyssa again at her enclosure. They spoke for a while, mostly over where they came from, what they liked and disliked, how they were rescued, what they learned about this new time, and others. He got to see her again. She was looking a lot better than the day before. Her voice was stronger, there was less coughing, and she was more outgoing. Whatever these humans were doing to her was proving to be beneficial.

Then the day became awkward by the time he met with Caius and Flit. The day before yesterday, they brought him some strange meats from one of the odd caves in the valley. The pink meat he ate was juicy and tender, despite having small bones. It did not taste any different from the small prey he had as a youngling, but meat was meat for him. He also tried out the strange reddish-brown sticks that Flit seemed to favor. They were a bit strong for his tastes and much too stiff for pieces of meat. Now they brought more of that to him. The pink meat was something he was beginning to tolerate, but the sticks, he could do without. It was when his guardians inquired about his day that things went embarrassing for him. Somehow, they weaseled out that he had been seeing Alyssa.

Caius immediately started asking questions about their meeting, especially Alyssa. Flit, on the other hand, just went straight to taunting him. He went off about him and Alyssa running off into the horizon, sitting next to a pond, cuddling, and thinking about B-A-B-I-E-S. Maker Almighty, he hated it when Flit chanted that. If he were not his guardian, he would have eaten him there on the spot.

Broken Jaw fled deeper into the valley, eager to get away from his inquisitive friends. As he walked on, he could not help but think about Alyssa. She was the only thing on his mind ever since they arrived. They had only been talking for a day, yet he was thinking of all kinds of excuses to go and see her. Yet, he would always question himself the same thing; why was he thinking of her? She had some kind of effect on him. She was the first female he ever got along with. So why was he acting this way?

His mulling soon brought about the return of his hunger. He soon found some promising targets that could help ease his empty stomach. Oddly enough, they were the same younglings he encountered the other day; the two spike arms, the one with the flat head, and the other one with the curved stick from the nose.

Broken Jaw spent the last several minutes stalking them within the forest brush. From his observations, the younglings appeared to be alone. They were talking about pulling a prank on somebody named Yar, with the help of another named Zini. The flat-head was thinking of placing him on a leaf and pushing him to the middle of a lake. The two spike arms were thinking of some way to wake him up abruptly. The final youngling, the female with the stick-head, was the only one that stayed out of the conversation. From what Broken Jaw could tell, she had some kind of refinery to her personality.

The younglings were oblivious to his presence. That was all that mattered to him. He watched as they went on ahead in the open plain before the stopped in front of the forest. They went into a deep conversation over how upset this Yar would be versus the entertainment of performing the prank.

Broken Jaw crept ahead in the forest, making sure his feet did not step on any stray twigs, rocks, or leaves. One single sound and his position would be given away. He stepped over tree logs, roots, and rocks. He weaved around the vegetation, making sure that his movements were not noticed out in the open. Once he reached the perfect spot, he turned around. The younglings were within his line of sight.

He lined himself up. They were still oblivious to his presence. They were mere feet from the edge of the forest. No adults were around. This was far too easy.

He charged.

 _ ***ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR***_

The children broke away from their peaceful trance. When they looked at the forest, they saw the golden-scaled carnivore break through the vegetation into the sunlight. His teeth were brandished out of a crooked maw like a menacing sawblade.

"Aaaaaaaaaah! Predator!" Charon screamed and was the first to flee.

"Run!" Talin seconded, following her example.

The other two children followed suit, screaming for their lives as well.

Broken Jaw chased them through the plain. Although the younglings were small, they were able to keep a considerable distance from him. In his mind, he wondered about what their flesh would taste like. The pink meat that Caius and Flit fed him felt a little bland for his taste.

He chased them into the hills. His roars kept them in a panic. These little creatures may be fast, but he figured they could not run forever…and neither could he. Up and down, they went on the hills. Broken Jaw was a master at ambush hunting, but his stamina was waning fast. He needed to take at least one down soon.

His opportunity revealed itself when one of the younglings tripped on his own footing. He tumbled forward before ending up on his stomach. The youngling that lagged behind was the spike-arm with the purple hide.

The others stopped and turn at the sound of his scream. The children became horrified at the sight of the youngest struggling to get back on his feet. Their eyes bulged with fear of the smallest of their group getting devoured by the monster coming up to them.

"Alden!" Talin called out.

The youngling's gaze fell upon the menacing eyes of the _Allosaurus_ that was just within a breath's distance from him. Alden lay his head down, covered his head, and screamed. Broken Jaw reared his head back, his jaw wide open and ready to slice into the youngling's skin.

But his chance never came. The sound of a loud trumpet and something heavy broadsided him. He rolled over onto his side, his vision blurry from all that spinning. When he came to, he found the most unexpected character coming to fight him. The large size, the thick brown fur, the long teeth horns, and the long nose gave it away as the odd mammal that was with the younglings the other day.

"Yeah! Way to go Martha!" he heard the youngling named Tirech cheer.

Broken Jaw got up and charged again. He jumped up and landed on the creature's proboscis. The warrior dug his jaws into the mammal's fur, trying to injure it. But the fur was much too thick for his teeth to pierce through. If anything, he was only causing minor injuries.

The mammal trumpeted again before shaking from side to side. Broken Jaw held on with his claws, but his attempt was futile. He was flung off, just barely landing on his feet. When he came to, he saw the mammal charge at him with her tusks. She swung her head and knocked him away.

Broken Jaw landed with a grunt. His head colliding with the earth stunned him. Opening his eyes, all he could see were blurs and spinning grass. All he could do was squirm feebly.

He soon found himself held down by something heavy. His neck was squeezed between that pressure and the earth. His esophagus was getting crushed, but only slightly. One quick glance up and he could slightly make out the form of the female behemoth weighing him down.

"Phew…thanks Martha," the purple youngling limped towards the towering mammal. He was soon joined by the other younglings, who stared down at the pinned carnivore.

"I knew I recognized the scent of meat and blood in the air. I never thought it would come from...this," Martha glared at the intruder. Looking at her again, Broken Jaw could see she was looking at him as if she were a tree to an ant.

"Martha, is he one of the newcomers that came with Alyssa? I thought she was alone when she was rescued," Talin asked the female.

Alyssa? That's right…these younglings were in front of her area the other day. Of course they would know a bit about her.

"You think this one came with those giants the day before yesterday?" the one named Charon inquired.

"That's what I want to know," said the mammoth. Her attention returned to the stunned carnivore.

Broken Jaw's vision may have readjusted, but there was no way he would give out any information regarding himself or his guardians. He had a promise to keep…but he knew he had broken it by hunting without Caius and Flit's approval.

"Who are you?" demanded Martha. "Where did you come from? Who else is with you?"

"Hah! Like I'd tell you!" the _Allosaurus_ cackled.

He really should not have done that. The mammoth squeezed his throat harder. Broken Jaw found himself gagging from the increased pressure. His squirming increased, but his feet were soon held down by the mammoth's other foot with one stomp. He winced at the sudden pain; had the impact been harder, his bones would have shattered. But it seemed the large creature was holding herself back.

Broken Jaw was trapped…and was helpless.

He gagged out his answer in one quick stifled breath. "Ack! My name is Broken Jaw! My friends and I went through some weird light when we were following those long-necked lugs in the Salt Plains!"

"Your friends?" Martha narrowed her eyes. "Where are they? They look like you, correct?"

The _Allosaurus_ gagged again. "No! They're an _Ornitholestes_ and a _Rhamphorhynchus_! I've got no idea where they are!"

The wooly mammoth directed her attention to the younglings near her. They gave her their undivided attention, however, they still stole a glance at the trapped predator in case he managed to try and escape. "Children, go find one of the keepers, preferably Bob or Nigel, and tell them what happened," she thought for a moment then added on to her command. "Also, tell them of this one's...friends. They could be roaming around the valley as we speak. Tell them to keep a sharp eye for whatever they were called."

" _Ornitholestes_ and _Rhamphorhynchus_..." Broken Jaw coughed, really annoyed at how the mammoth would forget what his friends were. And he thought she was supposed to be smart if she managed to ambush him without his detection.

"Thank you," she gestured to him kindly despite having him under her metaphorical thumb. She then turned back to the children and resumed her stoic vigilance. "Also, it's best not to tell any other Resident of this event. We don't want to cause any unnecessary hysteria."

The children agreed and left without any delay. Broken Jaw watched them leave from his peripheral vision. He tried to see where they went off to, but only found himself pinned down again by the furry behemoth. The pressure on his throat and legs were unrelenting.

"YOU are not to move until my friends arrive," Martha leaned uncomfortably close to his head.

Broken Jaw gulped, trying to keep a straight face despite the situation he was in. "Like I have much of a choice…"

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A few minutes later…

As predicted by the wise mammoth, her reinforcements did arrive. Martha kept her grip on Broken Jaw while they were alone; her muscles straining from the amount of pressure she had to put on for an extended period of time. The _Allosaurus_ was forced to answer more of questions, such as how he and his friends knew Hazel and Flia, who else saw him while he was here, what other Residents did he harm, and the such. Broken Jaw may have been trapped, but he was honest in his words. He explained how he met the human and her _Pteranodon_ friend, the kindness they showed him, the battles they were in, the Residents he did pass by but paid no mind to his presence due to how stealthy he was, and the fact that he did not harm anyone when he first arrived.

The mammoth became relieved when she saw two humans riding aboard one of those odd human contraptions coming towards them. Broken Jaw, on the other hand, groaned in resignation. If Caius had been here, he would have scolded him for acting so reckless AND for disobeying him.

The grey and green vehicle skidded to a stop, and the two humans within, both males, stepped out of it. One of the humans was a young male who wore a light green covering with the skeletal head of some poor carnivore on it. His legs were partially covered by a slightly thicker material. This human also had black grass growing atop his head, and his skin was as brown as the earth that surrounded the Water Hole he grew up in.

The human next to him was an older male. On his upper body was a light-blue material with a loose covering that barely covered his chest. His legs were covered by the same material that the younger male had. His head had faded brown grass with hints of grey on the sides.

"What the hell? Where did this guy come from?" the young male asked. He reached into the metal vehicle and pulled out one of those sticks some of the other humans had with them in the valley. He aimed it at Broken Jaw, and fired.

A loud _**fwip**_ sounded off. Broken Jaw had little time to react when something sharp pierced him in the neck. He roared in surprise and squirmed, only managing to free one of his legs.

The older male whistled in amazement. "I don't know. I didn't see this one when Alyssa was rescued. Everyone would have seen him pass through that portal that night. I'm guessing he came with the _Diplodocus_ and Supersaurs."

He then turned to the mammoth for confirmation. "Martha, did you mention before that this one had some friends? What were they again?"

"An _Ornitholestes_ and a _Rhamphorynchus_ ," she replied.

"As I thought," he said. "I've got all employees on high alert for them. When they're found, we'll place them with this stowaway in the _Allosaurus_ enclosure."

Broken Jaw stiffened at the sound of his friends getting captured. So those wooden barricades were prisons of some sort. When he arrived, he assumed they were nothing but barriers to keep intruders out, but now he had a different perspective on them. They were about to get captured and it was his fault.

He struggled under the mammoth's grip, only to find that his movements were becoming more sluggish by the minute.

The younger male human groaned. He waved his hands around to add to his frustration. "Ugh...first we've got those huge longnecks that came through, the mystery behind those raids in the food stores...not to mention my secret stash of beef jerky, and now these stowaways!? Oy...what a week."

Just then, something loud and sonorous went off from the direction of the older male. Broken Jaw weakly perked his head over to see the human retrieve something from behind him. His vision may be getting blurry, but he could make out a black rectangular rock that the male was talking towards. Whatever that item was intrigued him. Yet another contraption from this new time that he had no knowledge of.

" _Bob to Nigel_ ," the box said, oddly enough it was of another human male.

"This is Nigel. Go ahead," the human responded.

" _We found the culprits behind the food raids. You're not going to believe who they are."_

"Oh? Who are they?"

The next few sentences made Broken Jaw want to wriggle out of the pachyderm's grip and run from them. _"You said we had an Ornitholestes and a Rhamphorynchus on our wanted list right? Just a few minutes ago? I'd say these guys match the description of them."_

"Ah. I'm glad we got that solved. Put them in the empty portion in the _Allosaurus_ enclosure. From what I've heard, they're friends with the _Allosaurus_ we just tranquilized."

" _All right then. Oh, and just so you know they've been eating a whole lot of beef jerky. I think they passed out due to a food coma."_

"What!?" the younger male shrieked. He threw his hands up and dug them on his head. His audience could only watch as he stormed off towards the main part of the valley ranting about this new development. "They're the ones that did it!? Son of a bitch!"

The male in the box responded with an inquisitive tone. _"Was that Marcus just now?"_

The other man nodded. "Yup. That was."

" _Hazel and Flia left this morning for the Jurassic. Do they know they rescued these three newcomers?"_ said the 'box' known as Bob.

"I don't think they did, but I'll call Hazel and let her know," said Nigel.

" _Got it. I'll go ahead and take care of these two blokes."_

"Good. Over and out," said the blue-clad human. He pressed something on the top of the contraption before hanging back onto his belt.

Broken Jaw rasped a hiss. His friends were about to get captured, all because of his mistake of revealing himself. He had no idea what they were going to do to them, but all sorts of heinous possibilities rang through his mind. And there was nothing he could do; his head felt like it was spinning and his body was numb all over.

"If you hurt my friends, I swear on the being above that I am going to tear off your asses!" he coughed madly.

"Easy there," the man approached him with a calm tone. "We're not going to hurt them. We're just taking them someplace safe. You'll be going there too."

"You…can't tell us…what to do! We're…not your underlings!" Broken Jaw accused while trying to keep his senses sharp.

"Of course not," Nigel laughed. "You're in good hands. Now sleep…"

The _Allosaurus_ struggled under the foot of the mammoth, but found that he could not move so well. Moments passed by and he found himself completely still, save for his breathing. His vision became dark soon after. The pressure of the mammal's feet lifted off of him; fresh oxygen met his lungs once again.

The last thing he could remember was something dragging him away from the hills. The sky above him moved little by little. His vision blacked out, and so did the world around him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the Jurassic Period…

Hazel struggled to keep herself awake. Her eyes were starting to become dry from staring too long. The sun was setting, and neither she nor Flia had anything to eat for dinner.

For the last hour or so, they left with Al to go and find some promising targets for him to hunt. True to her word, she had explained to Al about the promises of Prehistoric Park. He was interested in the idea of living in a greener land where he would not have to worry about going hungry, searching for water, or getting hunted himself…not that he needed any protection. Al stood by his belief that he could hunt just fine with his torn arm, but he did mention he would consider their offer for moving with them.

But before Flia and Hazel could think about taking him back home, they needed to help him with the other end of the deal. Their search for potential prey led them to a group of _Drinker_ that was scrounging around for roots to eat in the ground. The area they were in was a bit dry, but it retained the lush vegetation that was found around the pond they were at previously. There were many large rocks around, providing a hunter with some ideal cover from watchful eyes.

Al took his place within the foliage and waited. Hazel and Flia took their place atop one of the gingko trees to watch the hunt. This was Al's hunt, meaning they had no right to interfere in it. Their only job at the moment was to observe.

Several minutes passed by with no change. The little herbivores grazed peacefully. Sometimes, one of the individuals would lift their heads up at a curious sound, only to find nothing around them. Hazel and Flia had to duck a couple of times just to avoid detection; if they were found, the hunt would be jeopardized.

Both of them were used to predators hunting their prey. But seeing a carnivore hunt innocent herbivores that they would commune with stung a little. Yet, the both of them had to remind themselves that carnivores were innocent themselves; they were hunting because it was in their nature to eat the flesh of others to sustain themselves. The only time they would be considered evil would be if they were killing for fun or for more devious reasons.

Al was here to take one down. That was it. He was not here to kill for sport. He was not here to train. He was not here to have fun. He just needed some food.

And the need for food was what made him launch his attack.

He shot out of the forest, first from a jog and then to a sprint. Hazel nearly fell off from the branch when Al broke out of the forest cover. To her, he was like a speeding grey torpedo that launched a couple of feet from her. They watched him sprint up to the group. A few heads shot up at the sound of heavy footfalls. When the ornithopods looked over, they saw a looming grey figure rocketing towards them.

They screamed. The skittish dinosaurs broke off in all directions. Some of them went east, towards a wide open space where they could use their speed to their advantage. Others went north, where there were more rocks so they could try to lose their attacker. But a few of them went west, where there was more forest cover.

Al chose to go north, where he could put his skills as an ambush predator to good use.

"Let's move!" Flia cried, flapping her wings in excitement.

Hazel quickly got up and agreed. She grabbed onto the saddle strap of her friend as soon as she turned her back to her. Once secured, the two of them took off, albeit a bit slow due to the amount of weight Hazel had in her bag.

The sky scouts rocketed through the prehistoric sky, following their target on his mission to get his dinner. The fortunate thing Al had going for him was he did not need to use his claws at the moment. This was not favorable for the travelers as the deal was if he could catch prey with his handicap, then he would not have a need to go home with them. Still, they held onto the hope that he could reconsider.

They followed him towards the large rocks. The _Drinker_ that made it their first scattered when they came across a large boulder that lay in between two others; a small gap was distanced by a couple of feet. One lone _Drinker_ managed to crawl under the rock and out by digging with its hands. The individual was also a juvenile, meaning that the small size was enough for it to escape.

But the rock was no trouble for Al. He merely hopped over it with ease.

"Faster Flia!" Hazel urged her partner. "We need to catch up to them!"

"You don't need to tell me twice!" she complied.

The two of them sped up. The pterosaur powered through the air up until she was at her limit. Soon, they were caught up with Al, who was now right under them. Flia slowed down so they could better watch his progress.

Al was a mere ten feet from the prey. The wake of their chase left behind clouds of dust. They weaved around rocks, dodging any sort of debris that was in their way. None of them seemed to let up in the chase. It was like a visual representation of cat and mouse.

The chase did not reach its finale until they made it to a circular formation of rocks. A large boulder about 30 feet wide and 20 feet tall stood plainly in the middle like it was a monument. The others around it stood like its guards. One of the rocks to the east of their position had the skeleton of an _Alcovasaurus_ that may have died from starvation, dehydration, or hunting. No trace of skin, blood, or entrails was left on it.

The juvenile prey jerked to the right, hoping to lose its attacker by going around the rock. Al went the other way, so he could ambush it. The _Allosaurus_ soon made it to the other side of the rock, but was met by something so surprising that he stopped in his tracks. Flia and Hazel noticed this and flew over to get a better look. They too were dumbfounded when they saw it.

It was an _Allosaurus lucasi_ that devoured the juvenile _Drinker_ in two whole gulps.

"What in the-? Where did that one come from?" Flia slightly stammered.

Hazel blew a piece of hair from her face. "Oh wonderful...an _Allosaurus lucasi_ ,"she groaned in annoyance. This new _Allosaurus_ did have the trademark golden skin that many of its kind had; however, it looked to have a hint of red that seemed to blend in with its colors. Hazel saw this kind of _Allosaurus_ back when they were in the Salt Plains when they rescued Charles' herd and the _Supersaurus_ family. Broken Jaw had no red in his markings and this one looked slimmer than him. Hazel made the quick assumption that this was a female. "Looks like this one beat him to it."

"Should we tell him to retreat?"

The human raised her hand for a moment, exerting her displeasure of this new predicament. "If he's smart enough, he will. Two different species in the same genus meeting isn't exactly a good scenario."

The two of them said nothing as they watched the scene unfold. Little did they know that this meeting was about to have much more than they bargained for.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This day had gone from bad to worse for Al. First his attempt at getting a mate ended up in failure, then he goes off hungry, and now the one who stole his dinner turned out to be a Yellow Skin. Not to mention his whole body was aching from his beating today AND his overexertion at trying to get some food.

The fact that his dinner was just stolen was not the only thing that pissed him off. It was that a Yellow Skin was here at all! From what he was told by the now late Takomo and the rumors he heard over the years, the Yellow Skins were only inclined to live in the lands in the southern part of the Salt Plains. They would dare not tread on the lands of his kind, the Grey Skins, because they did not want to have anything to do with them. Their cautious and tactical nature interfered with their warrior beliefs.

He scanned his surroundings, hoping that there were no others with this one. Yellow Skins tended to hunt in small groups, much like his kind. There was none, and he was relieved.

Al never liked the Yellow Skins, not since his first hunt in the Salt Plains. His momentary mentor Takomo died at the hands of one when he was trying to protect him. The story of the one called Broken Jaw informed him of how harsh they could be. And the rumor of Red Sand being the most ruthless of them all solidified his hatred for them. She was the epitome of all things dark in the world. True, he had to follow the law of the world, but to him, Red Sand took that to a whole new level; one that he did not like at all.

And for some reason, this new female Yellow Skin reminded him of her.

"Hey! That was mine!" Al spat at the intruder.

"You did not catch this prey," the female Yellow Skin coolly eyed him. "If you know what is good for you, you will stay away."

He stomped his foot on the sand. "No! I was the one who worked for it!"

She chuckled sadistically. "And I thank you for that. You saved me the trouble of finding a suitable meal."

Al growled, baring his teeth threateningly. "Freeloaders...you Yellow Skins are all the same! This isn't even your territory! Back off!"

"Your territory?" the female giggled in an uncomfortable cheer. "You are poorly mistaken. Some of us have traveled north, favoring the abundance of food in these lands. I claimed this as mine long before you arrived. It is here that I will build my new pack. It is here that I will make my new legacy. Those who left our homeland did so to survive. To be strong is to survive."

She gave him a stare that seemed to rattle his soul in anger. "To be weak is to remain behind. And the weak, always die. THAT is the way."

Big Al made a shaky breath. He heard that phrase before; not directly, but there was only one Yellow Skin that would say something like that. The way she took that _Drinker_ , how she spoke to him, it all made sense now. He knew this Yellow Skin, and the fact that he did not recognize the warning signs was out of ignorance. This was the same Yellow Skin he was warned about during his very first hunt in the Salt Plains.

"You...you're Red Sand!"

Red Sand hinted a smirk under her blood-soaked maw. "A common stranger knows my name? It would seem my illustriousness far expands that of my homeland. I never thought a weak-minded Grey Skin like you would know of me."

He shot daggers at her. "Illustriousness my ass. What the heck happened to the rest of your pack?"

"They left me to make their own legacies...at least the ones who survived. The rest died because they were not strong enough...pitiful fools."

It was at that moment that something within Al snapped. The world they live in was a cruel one; it was everyone for themselves. Survival meant coping with the dangers of everything around you. If it was your own pack, then wouldn't that mean you have an obligation to help? Granted he had never been in a pack, but after meeting Takomo, Al knew that there was more to life than just surviving. Not everyone was out for blood. There were those who were willing to put aside their selfish ambitions to help those in need.

Al was one of them. He had no idea how to operate in the Salt Plains. Had Takomo not given him any advice on the hunt, he would have died once he met his first _Diplodocus_. After Takomo's passing, he took his advice to heart. The next opportunity he had at making a pack, he would help them in any way he could.

Red Sand, on the other hand, defined everything that Al despised. Leaving those behind that could not fend for themselves. Taking the spoils that others worked hard for and leaving them with what little was left, killing your own kin just to show them mercy from a dragged-out death, and now, standing by as someone from the rival tribe stares him down as if he were nothing.

The grey hunter glowered at the proud female. "So you didn't even think about helping your kin that could not survive on their own. You just saw them as unfit to live. Didn't you even think about how they would cope with their troubles? Whether they would survive or not? You never cared about them...you disgust me."

"Humph...a Grey Skin that cares about others that he has no business with. Now that is a new one," Red Sand said with slight interest. "I care little about those who I have no quarrel with. But I despise those who do not agree with the law of the world, especially from a Grey Skin. I will give you this one warning; leave now and preserve the pitiful life you have. You Grey Skins are said to be the smart ones. You know that what I say is logical. If you know me well, then you know of how I think. You are all cowards."

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The whole time the two _Allosaurus_ were conversing, Hazel and Flia had been listening close by. The _Pteranodon_ hovered around, even landing atop one of the rocks behind the female _Allosaurus_ _lucasi_ so they could get a good vantage point. Neither predator paid them any mind, which allowed them to listen with ease.

The whole time they were listening, Hazel's view on the situation shifted from curiosity on who she was, to anger on why she did what she did, and then to stark realization. This female _Allosaurus_ not only was present during their escape in the Salt Plains, but her beliefs bore a striking resemblance to everything she was against. "The weak die, while the strong survive". It was "Survival of the Fittest" all over again! This _Allosaurus_ , Red Sand as Al called her, took this to the extreme. She was willing to sacrifice those around her if it would promote her own survival.

After her first solo mission into the past, Hazel believed that being good and human to others was the way to live. Compassion would help you go far. Everyone around you would follow your example and you would be able to stand up to against anything. But after listening to Red Sand talk about her beliefs, she was reminded of the dark side of the natural world.

Woodstock attacked Broken Jaw and gave him his titular injury because it would help her survive. Killing a young carnivore before they grew up would save your life and others. Joel sacrificing himself was an indirect reminder of this Darwinism. He gave his life so the others would survive, yet Flia knew he would die with their support or not. His sickness was a hindrance; if it and the predators did not take him down immediately, then the Salt Plains would. Then there was Kron. After the trauma of seeing Rudon sacrifice himself, along with witnessing countless other Herd members die during past migrations, his heart became cold and unforgiving. He saw the world where only the strongest would survive, and the weak would perish. The former alpha was even willing to sacrifice those less fortunate so the others would have a better chance at reaching the Nesting Grounds. Nero, the _Iguanodon_ that was named Kron's most faithful disciple, believed in this. Until recently, he took Kron's worst side to heart, believing that was the only way to live.

Now there was this Red Sand. She was Darwinism personified, perhaps Social Darwinism as well. Red Sand abandoned the offspring that were less fortunate. She favored those who were strong enough to survive. Hazel was witnessing Darwinism…and Social Darwinism, at its best. Or in this case, its worst.

Hazel finally understood. The dinosaurs she met in the past that lived by this had no choice; "Survival of the Fittest" was the only thing they saw as the most logical approach. They did not have anyone else looking after them, save for any blood relatives or those like them. The land changed them, and it caused them to think this way. This belief was the only thing that kept them going, and to deviate from that would be to radically go against everything they were taught.

The woman may not be a part of that "Natural World", but that did not mean she would give up on her morals. Her beliefs were her own. The only thing she needed to know was that everyone was different, and that she needed to accept it.

Shamefaced for being so naïve and foolish, she made a mental note to apologize to Woodstock for calling her out before…and to show a bit more respect to Nero the next time she saw him.

Hazel sighed and returned her attention to the conversing _Allosaurus_. Her next goals would have to wait. She had a mission to finish.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Al stood his ground, blinding fury welling up within him. The Yellow Skins were a group he grew to abhor, all because of his recent encounter with them. They piggybacked off the work he and his kind did in the Salt Plains. The lot basically ate a good fraction of that Diplodocus and left the less desirable bits for everyone else. They killed without regards to others, only seeing what was in front of them.

Takomo...his death burned in his mind like a hot rock. He was killed by a Yellow Skin, only because of his own foolishness for not backing off when he was told to. He spoke out against a Yellow Skin because he believed in what was right. Now he was in that same situation, only this time, there was no one around to help him. Red Sand was the mother of that same Yellow Skin that killed Takomo, one of the only ones in the Salt Plains that had the heart to look after him. She allowed his death to happen. And she shall pay for it.

On and on, she went about calling his kind cowards for not following her ancestors' example of leaving their homeland during the drought of the past. Al could not take any more of it. He let his feelings out like a volcano erupting.

"No. Contrary to what you think, we are not cowards. We retreat only because of strategy, not out of cowardice. We retreat when hunting prey only because it is not the right time to finish them. We flee so we could hunt another day. THEN we strike! I know of the story of our kinds. We remained behind during that drought because we believed things would get better. Your kind left to find other lands with more food. We stayed because we believed it to be right. You Yellow Skins left on your own accord. You think you left because it would make you stronger? You're wrong. You lived in lands with sparse prey, little water, and endless dry days. You fled because of the change in our lands. YOU freeload the prey we worked hard on getting. You're the REAL cowards!"

The next thing Al knew, the _Allosaurus_ he was protesting against lunged at him. Her jaws split open to reveal lethal sharp teeth. Red Sand roared and went in for a bite at his neck. The Yellow Skin's attack missed by a longshot when Al dodged by sidestepping away.

He returned the gesture by digging his teeth into her neck. The veteran fighter shrieked in pain before she was brutally thrown against the sentinel rock in the middle. Small teeth marks and drops of blood fell from her new wounds as she collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Al then ran up to her for a frontal attack. His opponent was tough indeed when she quickly recovered. The golden-red female screeched and jumped out of the way. Using the momentum of her weight, she jumped up and pushed the young male with her feet.

Al rolled away vigorously. His torn arm hit the earth in the process. His collision also resulted in a resounding crack to echo, along with a cry of pain. The female made a hint of a smile when she watched the male fall onto his side. He had a weakness. She dashed for him and dug her teeth into his shattered arm, breaking the bone even further.

"AGH!" he cried out in agony.

His scream did more than present himself as wounded. From above, he spotted something with large wings broadside the cold-hearted warrior away. His suffering arm messed with his vision, but he noticed that his savior had a purple body and a crest on its head. The two fighters screeched and roared at each other, dragging their fight towards the rock that Red Sand collided against before.

Al blinked again. His vision started to become clearer by the second. The sound of quickened, but light, footfalls turned his attention from the fight between Red Sand and her attacker to the small two-legged he encountered before. The human ran up to him, dislodged the huge weight she had on her back near his feet, and went down on one knee to inspect his arm.

"Al, get up! We need to get out of here!" she told him.

He shook his head and wheezed a "no".

"Come on Al! Flia can't hold that bitch off forever!"

"Sorry," he chuckled weakly and slowly got back up. His limped arm felt like it was on fire. One quick look and he saw blood drip down from the new wounds he received from her bite…along with something white sticking out near his elbow. He hissed through his breath, trying to drown out his pain. "I'm no quitter. I'm not leaving until she pays for everything she did, especially insulting me and my kind."

He charged forward, leaving a frantic Hazel behind.

"Al no! She broke your arm and severely wounded your chest! You don't stand a chance!"

If the grey fighter heeded her advice, he gave her no indication. He weaved around the _Pteranodon_ that was pecking at her face and dug his teeth into her neck. Red Sand shrieked once again at the feel of tiny daggers going through her skin.

But Al did not have his advantage for long. The queen of the Salt Plains angled herself away from the rock and wrestled herself out of his tight grip. She pushed him against the rock with a shift of her weight. Al grunted when his body hit the boulder; his head impacting it like a feeble twig against the bark of a tree. The _Allosaurus_ fell onto the earth, stunned once again. Yet his vision did not fall away so easily.

From his peripheral, he saw the pterosaur broadside the _Allosaurus lucasi_ again. The two females fought wing, beak and tooth once more. The beak of the future traveler pierced the hide of the Salt Plains ruler, blood oozing out of the new holes. Red Sand soon found herself biting only air when the huge scout retreated back to the sky.

In a moment's notice, Flia did a sharp turn and dove for the female. Red Sand hissed and crouched, ready to pounce. When the pterosaur was close enough, she angled her body so her tail would come out front. Flia shrieked at the whack of the tail, and was sent hurtling against one of the outlying rocks. The _Pteranodon_ collided against the boulder with a grunt before sliding down helplessly. The white in her eyes became shrouded by her eyelids when unconsciousness took over.

Al shook his head and looked at the huntress. She stalked towards the future denizen, killing intent in her eyes. But before she could get within three feet of her, something small and sharp pierced through the skin of her right leg. Red Sand screamed and whirled around, hoping to get a good look at her attacker before killing it.

When she did, she only found a small dust trail on the sand. Her confusion only resulted in another sharp wound to occur in her other leg.

Had Red Sand been paying any attention, she had left out one other individual in the fight. The mammal with the black reeds on her head used a small, shining, silver claw to slash away at Red Sand while using her agility to avoid her line of sight.

Al quickly got up. The determination of such a small creature against a ruthless huntress like Red Sand brought the fire back inside him. He charged at the female, wielding his one good arm, and hacked away at her face. The female's head turned to the side to reveal three new bloody marks in her already red-toned skin.

"You fool!" she roared. Red Sand backed away and sent a tail swipe at him. Al stumbled back at the sudden blow, his face crying out in agony at the sudden whiplash.

His quick recovery allowed him to counteract a throat bite with a swipe of his head. But his attack was only met with failure when he found himself pushed onto the ground. The grey fighter attempted to kick the female away with his feet, only to find that one of them ended up in her jaws.

Al screamed bloody murder as the searing pain of sharp teeth impaled through the middle toe of his right foot. Red Sand tugged at his limb, even jerking it from side to side. Al felt the bone tear from his skin, the teeth hack away at his bone, and the flesh rip off from his body. Each pull resulted in his foot being pulled further out from the muscle.

Before Red Sand could get one final tug in, the human known as Hazel stabbed her weapon into her right ankle. The _lucasi_ female screeched in anger, releasing the death grip she had on Al. The girl's intervention bought Al enough time to strike back. He got up, albeit a little shaky from his new limp, and bit her on her neck.

One forceful throw and the female was sent stumbling…towards the _Alcovcasaurus_ skeleton.

Red Sand's meeting with the skeletal corpse was a gruesome one. She screamed when her chest met one of the large spikes on its back, and jutted out in red near the center of her rib cage. One of her legs met the same fate as the outermost spikes on the thagomizer stuck out of her flesh. Red Sand squirmed in her bloody prison, but her struggle only made her situation worse as more blood squirted out of her new wounds.

"And— Huff huff— stay down!" Al said, exhausted from his thorough beating.

Red Sand hissed painfully at her attackers. The one with large wings known as Flia gracefully landed mere feet from her head, but far enough so she would not get her. "Taken down by mere insects! Argh… I must be getting slow in my old age…"

She then glared at Big Al. Even under the relentless onslaught of pain, she still held her poise as a cold blooded killer. "Well, what are you waiting for Grey? The world has deemed me weak to have lost to you, I'd rather you finish me off quickly so that I won't bear the shame of my failings."

Al strode forward, hesitantly at first, before becoming resolute. His only thought was to give her a merciful end from the torture she was now under. Unfortunately, his way became blocked by the forms of Flia and Hazel. They gave him determined eyes, and both shook their heads.

"That won't be necessary Al," Hazel said, turning around to meet the indirect pleading eyes of the she-predator. "I'm sure that we can treat her injuries—"

"Don't you DARE pity me, Mammal!"

Flia turned around and placed a wing on her friend in defense. The human, although caught-off guard by the sudden outburst, stood her ground. "If you don't get treated, you'll die. Even someone as monstrous as you shouldn't go out like this."

Red Sand guffawed, her ears ringing with the nonsense of merciful aid coming from an odd creature like her. Hazel narrowed her unwavering eyes at the crazed female. The thought of her refusing much needed medical treatment was absurd to her. "Hahaha— How- how exactly do you think this whole thing works out child? 'Monstrous'? No, I'm not a monster. I've done a lot of unsavory things that many spineless creatures wouldn't be able to stomach, but I'm not a monster. 'Good', 'Evil', 'Right', 'Wrong', those are words of someone who has never experienced true hardship in their lives. Take a good look spineless girl; I have roamed this earth for countless summers. I couldn't have gotten to where I am today without the struggle that the world has thrown at me. You'll see Mammal, there will come a time where your 'Sweet words' will mean nothing, and you'll have to weather the storm of that time. Once you've faced that hardship then MAYBE you'll see the world as I do and then you'll understand how the world works, spineless one!"

At that very moment, the dying _Allosaurus_ made one last effort to attack. She heaved herself up from the spikes in a quick movement, ignoring any pain that erupted throughout her body. Squirts of her own blood fell onto the earth in a continuous stream. All three of them backed away as she righted herself. Red Sand surged forward, her murderous gaze focused on the human that dared to foolishly try to help her.

Hazel and Flia screamed. They retreated from the raging female, but did not need to go far. A loud whack and the warrior screaming made them turn back on the scene. Al had attacked Red Sand at the last second with a tail swipe. The female stumbled around, dazed in her own spinning vision, until she fell onto her side. The spikes of the skeleton stabbed her body once more, but the largest spines shot through her neck.

Red Sand gurgled on her blood. Her breathing interfered by the loss of the only sustenance that kept her alive. The crimson liquid drained from her body. In mere moments, her body movements slowed, until she came to a still. The life left from her yellow, heartless, eyes. Her final breath escaped with a sigh.

Red Sand was no more.

The two scouts looked on at the huntress, shocked by how her end came about. The bloody end to the most fearsome predator to have ever walked the Salt Plains burned in their minds. Although she tried to kill them, she never deserved to go out like this. Yet the two of them knew that Al did this to save them.

Before either of them could bow their heads in respect, their attempt was interrupted by the sound of a groan followed by the crash of a body. Both whirled back, only to see their savior lying on his side, his breathing labored.

"Holy shit! Al!" Hazel cried running to his side.

"I'm okay…" he grimaced at the sting of his new injuries all over his body. "But barely."

"You need help. NOW!" Flia said.

"For once...I'm not going to argue against that," he winced from the sting of his injuries when he tried to move. "But at least that bitch is gone."

"You saved me," the human said in relief after watching him try to get up. "Thank you…"

Al nodded, accepting the act of gratitude. "You're helping me now. It's the least I could do to repay you." He then looked on with concern for them. The shock of nearly becoming new victims must have shocked the two females. "Now the question is...are you okay?"

Hazel nodded shakily. "I'll recover." Her friend made the same gesture.

"But, she called you out on your beliefs. You sure you're not-"

The girl raised her hands to stop him, which he obeyed without question. "I'll be fine. We both will. She's not the first one to call me out on being helpful. I don't know who this Red Sand was, but it looked like you two had a bit of a history."

The _Allosaurus_ snorted indignantly, his gaze went to her prone form for a moment before returning to the time travelers. "Just a chance encounter. We didn't meet formally until today. I would have preferred to avoid her, but I guess fate had other plans."

"What was that you two were talking about?" Flia inquired. "Yellow Skins and Grey Skins?"

Al breathed a laugh in a way that reminded the two of them of Diablo chuckling, minus the sadistic tone he always had. "It's an age-old legend that all of us know, though I bet Red Sand's kind has a different version of it."

"As much as we'd like to get to know more about that," Hazel started before running off towards the bag she left nearby. "We've got to get you to our home. Our healers there will help you. Just...don't eat them."

The predator rolled his eyes and smirked gratefully. "You have my word."

In no time at all, the three of them were making their way through a strange translucent wormhole that Hazel erected in a matter of moments. Al hobbled as he walked with his new limps, but did his best to keep himself up. The portal disappeared as fast as it appeared. No trace of an _Allosaurus fragilis_ , a _Pteranodon_ , and a human were left behind. The only evidence of their presence was the footprints left in the sand, and the carcass of the late Red Sand that will forever rot under the sun.


	16. Catching Up

Al lay sleeping in the middle of the infirmary. At least six veterinarians, including Suzanne, were milling about him. Anesthesia had been administered to him as soon as he settled down. Bandages were being wrapped around the ointment covered gashes he sustained from the previous conflicts that day. His broken right foot and his broken arm, on the other hand, were getting the most attention. Carefully and delicately, special casts were being applied to being putting the bones back into place.

It was early evening by the time Hazel arrived at the infirmary after dinner at the park cafe. Before then, she went to her room to drop off her equipment; the weight she bore on her back reveled in the new freedom. The strain of her muscles relaxed as she worked out the knots she accumulated over the trip. All indication of daylight had faded behind the mountains. The blue sky receded into a darker shade of navy. Al was immediately brought to the infirmary when Hazel radioed Suzanne of the situation after they arrived at the park. Flia had flown off towards the Valley Plains to get some much needed dinner; the mission's completion was a great weight lifted from her shoulders. Hazel went off to the infirmary, her belly full and muscles relaxed, to check up on their newest patient.

Seeing a giant dinosaur in the middle of the airplane hangar-sized infirmary reminded her of one other time when she visited this place; a more somber time. Several weeks ago, Aladar had been in Al's place. He had obtained third degree burns from the searing winds of the meteor that burned the Nesting Grounds in their time to ashes. They managed to make it through the portal, but not before the blast wave could make its final imprint on the last dinosaur to make it to the 21st century that day. The _Iguanodon_ had to undergo intense skin-grafting surgery, and was put into an induced coma for at least five weeks to allow the skin to heal.

It was heartbreaking to see one of her best friends in that dire state. But now was different. Aladar was better now and reunited with his family. He was leading the herd as its true leader.

In contrast, Al was in a much better shape than Aladar when he arrived. The only wounds he had to worry about were the gashes on his body and a couple of broken limbs. The broken bones would heal within a matter of months, but the other injuries would take a much shorter time. Hazel was not worried about him; she knew he was in good hands.

She hoisted herself from leaning against the large doorway inside. The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She took her phone out of her bag and put it into her pocket, yet she did not think to check for any new messages since her return. As soon as she turned it on and watched the screen go to the main menu, she saw that she had at least seven missed calls.

All of which came from Nigel.

"So now the young adventurer manages to check her phone. I suppose you had your hands full?"

Hazel yelped at the sudden intrusion. She turned around, only to see the slightly frustrated expression of Nigel. His arms folded and one of his feet tapped rhythmically.

The girl chuckled shakily, putting the phone back into her pocket. "Yeah...you're kind of looking at him," she made a head gesture to the sleeping _Allosaurus_ inside.

"Ah. That explains it," his face softened when he noticed the carnivore patient. "You two actually set a bit of a personal record. You were out for over 24 hours and manage to come back with a rescue."

Hazel became interested. "Really?"

"Yes," the man gently patted her on the left shoulder. "So what happened while you were in the Jurassic?"

"Um…" Hazel timidly uttered, her hand absently stroking the back of her head. "A lot of stuff. We ended up in a time that was in a drought…again, just not as bad as last time. We saw a few dinosaurs we didn't see before. And…we had an encounter with a female _Allosaurus lucasi_ that tried to kill us."

"Really now?" Nigel replied fascinated.

"Yeah...I made a note to ask Al what her deal was with his kind."

The man became puzzled at the name. "Al?"

The girl face palmed. Of course, he's not aware of the full situation. "Yeah he's got a name, but I decided to call him Big Al. Or just Al for personal choice. Don't ask me what his real name is. I've forgotten it because it's too confusing. I'll get the hang of it eventually."

"Couldn't resist using the name of that fossil now, could you?" Nigel chuckled.

Hazel shrugged sheepishly. "From what I could glean from before, he mentioned something about a rivalry of sorts between the 'Grey Skins and the Yellow Skins'."

"Grey Skins and Yellow Skins?"

"The _fragilis_ and the _lucasi_ species," she clarified.

Nigel's fascination rose exponentially in his features. "Ah. Interesting... so the two species have a history with each other? I'd like to know more about that."

The Asian shrugged his shoulders. New mysteries arising after every adventure was nothing new. First there was her encounter with Aladar and Neera's herd when she found numerous species that were supposed to live in different continents and time periods, finding out that their earliest ancestors existed during the dinosaurs rather than in the Eocene period, and there was the legend of Old Gotama, the founder of the Nesting Grounds. Now there was the new legend of the Grey and Yellow Skins, two rival tribes that differed in appearance and personalities that had a bone to pick with each other. Regardless, she and the other employees were welcome to new information.

"Me too," she said then changed the topic. "What brings you here? Wanting to check out Al?"

"Yes, but I also wanted to inform you of some news I've been trying to get to you. Hence why I've been trying to call you so much."

Her interest piqued. "Oh?"

Nigel responded in haste; almost eager to get all the information out. "Remember when you and Flia came back with that herd of _Diplodocus_ and _Supersaurus_? Well, you got a couple of stowaways as well."

Hazel looked at him with an incredulous gawk. "Wait, what? Who? When? How?"

The man chuckled, amused by her eagerness to know the surprise. "Well, I don't think I want to spoil the surprise. Why don't you head over to the Allosaur dunes and find out?"

"Allosaur Dunes?" she wondered.

"Why, the Allosaur enclosure we just named of course."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hazel hurried towards the direction of the new enclosure. She ignored the greetings of the Residents she passed by, specifically Bruno and his Tribe, Irwin, and Espantos, who was apparently was going for an evening jog before retiring to his enclosure for the day. She did shoot them a quick greeting before running off. As she ran to the Allosaur Dunes, she mulled over the possibilities of what Nigel was referring to.

Perhaps there was another _Allosaurus_ _fragilis_ that snuck through the portal? Maybe there were a couple of _Allosaurus_ younglings that came through? Or it could be a couple of small avian dinosaurs that found being near Alyssa made them comfortable?

Whatever the case, there was one thing she was aware of. Nigel informed her that the stowaways did not cause serious complications to anyone in the park, thus nobody was hurt. That had been her primary worry. Her fears were settled when her mentor told her they contained the stowaways before any real trouble started.

Hazel wondered about the trouble Nigel referred to. He did not give her any hint of the events that happened after she and Flia left for the Jurassic. He was hush-hush about it, which annoyed her to no end. The woman pestered her mentor to at least reveal the slightest hint of what had occurred. But Nigel did not let up. He urged her to go to the new enclosure to meet the new Residents.

It was not long before she finally made it to the Allosaur Dunes. The twilight hour obscured the appearance of the new addition to Prehistoric Park. Hazel could barely make out the trees and the ponds within the expanse. She half-wished she brought her flashlight along, but she left it back in her room along with the other supplies she brought. She had no idea that Nigel had any new surprises in store for her.

Hazel also wished she listened to the voicemails Nigel left for her. But he warned against her to listen as that would also ruin the surprise. The girl wanted to be surprised, so she did as she was told.

It was a good thing she did not listen to the voicemails. To her surprise, she found Alyssa, the _Allosaurus_ _fragilis_ she and her friends rescued several days before, conversing with a couple of strangers on the other side of the wooden barrier erected in the enclosure. Hazel was pleased to see the huntress now fully recovered and lacking the coughs she always had.

But she was unprepared for what she found next.

"Hey Alyssa! How's it go-...," she called out to the _Allosaurus_ but then her eyes drifted to the individuals on the other side of the wooden fence. Her eyes bulged and her mouth fell agape. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me..."

The three individuals speaking beyond the barrier to the outside turned their heads at the girl. At first, their reaction was of surprise. Then that transformed into a mix of glee and excitement. The first one that Hazel noted was Alyssa, who stood on the left side of the enclosure. Her stature seemed to have improved after the medical treatment, as she looked stronger and fitter than before. The next individuals that Hazel saw did not seem to belong in this particular enclosure.

The two newcomers were a grey and black colored _Ornitholestes_ and his golden-hued _Rhamphorhynchus_ friend that sat perched on his back.

"Oh. Hi Hazel," Alyssa greeted.

"Hey, if it ain't our favorite little human!" Flit laughed with a quick flap of his wings. "Long time no see!"

"Greetings Hazel," Caius did a curt nod. "It certainly has been a while."

Hazel pouted a little, puzzled as to why they were there and that they were happy to see her after a few days. "Um…it's only been a couple of days? What the heck are you guys doing here? How did you get here?"

The sound of a loud snore tore her attention from the conversing carnivores to the far edge of the right side of the enclosure. Her eyes bulged at the curled up, sleeping form of Broken Jaw underneath a vibrant cycad tree. Despite the loud outburst that Hazel made, Broken Jaw seemed to be deep in his sleep. He may have been a full-grown _Allosaurus lucasi_ that had a temper to match Nero on a good day, but watching him sleep from afar made him appear to be adorable.

But the sleeping Broken Jaw also brought about a new worry for the budding leader. Two creatures of the same genus but different species is almost never a good idea. Usually, they would either ignore each other, or the more worrisome outcome, fight against each other. And if her recent conflict against Red Sand in the Jurassic period said anything, then the _fragilis_ and _lucasi_ do not like each other.

Putting Alyssa and Broken Jaw in close proximity and the rivalry between the two species was an ill-move on the employee's part. Then again, nobody had any knowledge of their rivalry until Hazel came back.

She gulped and kept her composure. Alyssa seemed to be comfortable around the newcomers. Perhaps they already got acquainted and the meeting went well? Or maybe it is because Broken Jaw came in already asleep? Either way, Hazel made a mental note to check on them the next day to make sure none of them try to kill each other.

"And...Broken Jaw is asleep," she added, brushing her worries aside.

"He...is resting after his encounter with a mammal known as Martha," the Ornitholestes hesitantly replied, putting on an air of disappointment. "Your friend Nigel told us what happened while we were off getting our own food. Broken Jaw disobeyed my order to not attack anyone else here until we knew exactly what happened to us."

Hazel's lip quivered at the mention of the hotheaded predator fighting against one of the toughest Residents in Prehistoric Park. "Broken Jaw attacked Martha? Why would he do that? Surely, he should have known he wouldn't have won against her? She's a walking mat of fur!"

"He um...he was hunting a couple of younglings. Don't worry. They're okay from what we heard," Flit interjected before his companion could finish.

"Younglings?"

"Yeah! One of them was named Talon, another Tieerk, then Charky, and Aldi? I think?" the little pterosaur became perplexed at the names of the younglings he incorrectly named. The memory of their identities faded as quickly as they were mentioned judging by how he tried to recall them.

Nevertheless, Hazel understood. "Talin, Tirech, Charon, and Alden... I'm glad they're okay."

She cleared her throat, wanting to change the subject to answer the other questions she had. "Well, why are you guys here? I thought you and Broken Jaw decided to stay behind at the Water Hole."

"We did," said Caius. "But then he changed his mind. Apparently he took our advice to heart and decided the best way to survive would be to go where you were going."

"So we followed you guys out to that freaking dry place, got ourselves caught up in that ambush, and went through that weird light that led us here," Flit concluded their explanation.

"Ah, that would explain it," Hazel understood with certainty. "I didn't see any of you when we were migrating. Then again, Flia and I were riding on Charles, so we spent much of our time at the front of the herd. How did you guys avoid detection from the other _Diplodocus_? And Woodstock and Clearwater?"

The _Ornitholestes_ shrugged his shoulders, doing his best to hide his awkwardness on the event. "We hid under them."

"They provided some great shade and protection too," Flit added. He then licked his beak, his tongue rolling over his tiny sharp protrusions that looked like teeth. "Not to mention they always had bugs flitting about them."

The human rolled her eyes at their answers. It did make sense after all. Them being tiny in the eyes of a large sauropod, they would not pose much of a threat and they could slip passed their line of sight. "So, how'd you guys get caught?"

Alyssa giggled, tearing the human's gaze from the two little carnivores to the amused huntress. Said carnivores shifted uncomfortably in their positions in embarrassment. "Oh, you are going to love this."

"Alright spill," she narrowed her eyes at them. "How'd you two end up here?"

"Well um…" Caius started reluctantly. "Flit and I were still hungry after lunch today."

"We've been raiding that huge food place you guys had," said the _Rhamphorhynchus_.

Hazel got wind of what they were referring to. Somewhere inside the park was the main food warehouse where all of the food for the Residents and employees were stored. It housed so much food from parts of the world that the employees liked to call it their personal "International Food Market". It was named that because employees who were looking into making their own food or filling up their own stores would go there and just take what they need, provided they left enough for everybody else. Not to mention it also housed the freezer and the Park fridge inside, where the foods that were nonperishable were stored.

Any wandering Resident would find the food inside appetizing, specifically Espantos. There was that one time when he found the "Candy Aisle" and raided the whole thing. The warehouse along with any nearby buildings suffered in the devastation of his sugar rush. Repairs lasted for weeks on end. As for the poor Terror Bird, he suffered from a terrible stomach ache and a fever from eating too much. The warehouse was always kept under lock and key and was monitored via security cameras 24/7.

But apparently, Caius and Flit managed to bypass the security cameras for a while before they eventually got caught. Hazel hoped that Nigel, Bob, or Marcus made a note to have a word with the security department about this.

"Flit decided to eat some of those strips of savory meat while I found some meat that I liked. It was large and colored pink," Caius mentioned the last thing he had before passing out in the warehouse.

Once again, Hazel's inference kicked in. The meat that Caius described was most likely one of the poultry in their stores. Due to the amount of meat the carnivorous Residents eat, the employees would separate their stash between the human workers and the Residents. There was even a separate section in the freezer made for the Residents. Caius must have found them there.

As for Flit, he must have found some beef jerky. And if any employee has worked in Prehistoric Park for a while, they would know that Marcus had a secret stash of beef jerky hidden in the warehouse. Sure, the warehouse gives out some beef jerky, but Marcus had a whole stash of it that he would hoard constantly. Nobody has been able to find that stash until recently apparently.

"We...fell asleep after finishing our fill," Flit guiltily responded. "We got so full that we fell asleep on the spot."

"I warned him we should have brought the food back to our hideout. But did he listen? No, he certainly did not!" the _Ornitholestes_ hissed with frustration at the small pterosaur.

"Hey, you fell asleep too! You gobbled up that pink juicy thing like it was nothing!"

Hazel laughed, placing a hand on her mouth to try to quiet herself from waking the sleeping Broken Jaw. The female _Allosaurus_ , the normally confident _Ornitholestes_ , and the sharp-tongued _Rhamphorhynchus_ watched as she wheezed from her laughing fit. As soon as she calmed, her eyes had bits of water and her cheeks hurt from her joyful tirade. "Ah geez...food coma. Gets everybody."

"Geez kid, you had us a bit worried there," said Flit.

"Sorry," she cleared her throat. "I apologize for any trouble my people and my friends here have caused. I wish we could have reunited under better circumstances."

Caius waved a claw in acceptance. "It's quite alright. We had no trouble at all."

"Well, except for that yellow snotball that thought he was all that and was going all out because we tried to steal his food," Flit recalled that one particular event earlier that day.

The human raised a brow at the mention of a Resident colored yellow. "Wait, yellow snotball?"

"Yeah!" the flyer squawked and then pointed a wing at his mount. "Kind of looked like Caius here except different."

The girl shook her head and face palmed. She knew who they were talking about. A feeling of shame went through her mind as she thought of what could have happened to these two when they encountered one of the Park's infamous Residents. "Rascal. Yeah, sorry about him. Everyone here is pretty likeable, but there are a few who are not agreeable to company, Rascal being one of them. He's pretty rude to newcomers. Well, anyone really. He's got no manners at all."

Flit snorted. "Then, why's he here? Why'd you let him push you around when you don't like him?"

"Because he's made his home here. And he's really not that bad...sometimes," Hazel grimaced at the sweet talk she made of the _Troodon_. While she and mostly everyone in the Valley found him to be a thorn in their side, he did have a few good qualities underneath that mafia-esque glamour. His outbursts were funny at times and he was a good individual to go to if anyone wanted to practice how to backtalk. "On a fair day, he's pretty funny. But most of the time, he's a stubborn asshole."

"Uh huh..." the former ocean-going flyer replied unconvinced.

"Hazel, I don't mean to change the subject," said Caius, who pointed his gaze towards something on his left leg. "But what are these things on our legs?"

Hazel narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher what the object in question Caius was referring to. A quick look at Alyssa and the sleeping Broken Jaw and she saw she was looking at the same object on their legs. It may be a little dark, but Hazel could make out one single silver ring that adorned the right legs of the predators. The only exception was Flit, who seemed to not have one on him. Her eyes then shifted to the three poles that stood guard in front of the barrier fence in the enclosure. Hazel wanted to slap herself for forgetting about those objects. She was so focused on catching up with the new Residents that she had forgotten the security measure the employees put in there to prevent a future breakout.

The Perimeter Collars that Caius and Alyssa had on were made to prevent any Resident from breaking out of their enclosure. These were made in response to the first breakout the Park witnessed, where Rascal spooked one of the Titanosaurs into a frightened rampage. The chaos the sauropod left behind resulted in the _Ornithomimus_ running about, the other Titanosaurs storming around the valley from the fear of a predator on the loose, and Matilda the _Tyrannosaurus_ _rex_ stalking around the place, who almost hurt Mikiya if it were not for the intervention of Nigel and Martha.

The collars were meant to stop such breakouts from happening, but that did not mean that it would prevent some stubborn Residents from trying. Diablo the _Carnotaurus_ escaped from his enclosure with the help of Nero with the hopes he would eliminate their common enemies and allow him to lead the herd unopposed. That deal turned out to be false when Diablo revealed his true intentions; to slaughter his enemies including the herd, along with everyone he hated in the valley, especially Aladar and Hazel. As a result of that breakout, the frequency of Diablo's Perimeter Collar was increased to prevent him from doing the same mistake again.

There were some exceptions to the Perimeter Collar measure. Espantos seemed to have immunity to the shocking warnings of that piece of technology that his escapades were deemed to be a normal occurrence. He was also the Park's courier in daily news, so Nigel and the other employees allowed him to roam free without any trouble. His childish innocence and his popularity, good and annoying, proved him to be harmless. The same went for Yin, her Flock, and now Charles and his herd. The Titanosaurs frequently broke out of their enclosure so many times in their search for diversifying their appetites that their escapades were also a common occurrence. A recent meeting a couple of months prior accepted their roaming as normal.

The other exceptions to the Perimeter Collar included everyone that lived in the Valley Plains, the insects in the Bug House, and the _Microraptors_. The Carboniferous insects were confined in their Bug House due to the amiable oxygen levels, so escape for them would do more harm than good. The _Microraptors_ worked alongside Espantos in gathering news for the whole valley and were not known to cause any trouble. Then there were the Residents in the Valley Plains. Aladar and Neera's herd had too many individuals in their horde that giving them the shock collars would be pointless. In addition, there were the special barrier poles stationed at the end of the park that would prevent them from bypassing the park borders. It seemed cruel to keep them locked in a location, but it was the park's only way of preventing any of the Residents from making themselves known to the general public. The good news was they do not wander too far out towards the park borders.

Hazel could not help but hold back a frown. These collars were there as a general security measure, but now that they were able to understand the Residents on a deeper level, she started to view the collars as unnecessary. At least, to the Residents that everyone knew to be friendly. She hoped that one day, she and the other employees would reach an agreement to take them down, but only use them on Residents that had bad intentions.

"Oh, perimeter collars," she simply said. "It's for added security."

"Security?" Flit coughed to show his suspicion. "Because every time we put our heads against the wooden stuff here, we get a jolt!"

"Speak for yourself," Caius rolled his eyes. "Flit, you don't have one on you."

"Hey hey hey! I'm speaking for you guys."

As the two of them bickered on, Hazel pondered about why Flit did not have a collar on him. Her first guess would be that since he was a small pterosaur, he would not be able to cause much trouble around the valley. He was not strong enough to open the fences in the Park, much less get the latches open; they were much too heavy for a pterosaur his size. The other guess was there were no collars that could fit him at all. His legs were about as thick as a small twig. Hazel had no worries about Flit breaking out, but she did think about the possibilities of the two _Allosaurus_ species getting into some kind of a disagreement. It would result in a dispute much like that of Terrence and Matilda.

Her rumination broken by the ongoing bickering, she called out to the two Water Hole Residents, halting their tirades. "Yeah, sorry. Um, it's a long story, but it's to keep you guys safe."

"Safe?" asked Flit. "How?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Humph," he looked at her warily for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. He made a squeaky yawn before speaking in a tired tone. "Well, it's getting late. We'd better follow our buddy BJ and catch some snores. All that food we ate kind of made us sleepy."

"Alright, it was nice meeting you," Alyssa told him, her elation at the ceasing of the argument shown on her face.

"Hey, don't forget," the sharp-beaked flyer added. "I'm goin' to teach you a couple of tricks I taught BJ. So you need to wake up bright and early."

"Alright, I will."

The two companions bid their farewells and parted from the two females. They retreated into the dense Jurassic foliage for a comfortable spot they made earlier. Once their forms were gone, Alyssa turned away from the female human and greeted her goodnight. But Hazel had other things on her mind. There was another reason she came to this specific enclosure, and she intended to get some answers from the _fragilis_ huntress.

"Hey Alyssa? Quick question," she called out to her, stopping the predator in her tracks. She turned around and walked back to the human, her face now inches from the wooden bars.

"Do you...know anything about the legend of the Yellow Skins and Grey Skins?"

The incredulous look that the grey warrior gave her nearly made her heart freeze. It was the look of somebody scrutinizing a stranger that looked completely different, as if they grew another body part or a pair of antlers. Hazel thought that Alyssa was going to attack her for mentioning a topic that seemed innocent, but she thought wrong when the _Allosaurus_ voiced her own ignorance on the subject.

"Where did you hear about that?"

"I heard about it during my last trip to your time," Hazel regained herself from the momentary shock. "A couple of predators made a brief mention of it, but Flia and I couldn't get any more info because we had our hands full at the time. Since you're a 'Grey Skin', I thought you might know about it."

Alyssa pouted. "Hm...well, I don't know much about it. I had no idea it was a legend at all. All I know is my mother taught me to stay away from their kind, for their ruthless, brash, and warrior nature clashes with our own. She told me they were killers who would attack others without a second thought."

" _Hm…so Alyssa is just about in the dark about this as I am…"_ Hazel frowned. Her attention gleaned over the Yellow Skin that slept under a tree not far from where they were at. "I see...and yet there's a Yellow Skin sleeping about 50 feet from you. Aren't you scared of him?"

The female looked back at him for a moment and then back at the girl. "No. I was at first, but he didn't seem to know why I was acting like that. He didn't seem to want to attack me the first time we met. In fact, he had no idea how to act towards me. For all I know, I am probably the first female he's ever met. I figured all he wanted was a friend, so I opened myself up to him. Underneath that arrogant, hardened hide is a clueless guy who tries to hide his uncertainty. He seems to like talking to me."

Hazel was stunned. An _Allosaurus_ of a different species liked talking to Alyssa? Judging by how Alyssa was speaking of Broken Jaw, it sounds like he may have a thing for her. Is it even possible for two dinosaurs of the same genus yet different species to be compatible for each other? Then again, there were rare instances in the modern world where animals that were nearly similar to each other were able to produce offspring. Such examples included a male donkey mating with a female horse to create a mule, a grizzly bear and a polar bear to make a grolar bear, a lion and a tiger to make a liger, and a lion mating with a leopard to make a leopon.

But two different _Allosaurus_ species mating? That seemed unheard of. Hazel was unsure of whether Broken Jaw being with Alyssa would work out or not. Even if it did, the medical complications of their offspring would be disastrous. But, those problems would only arise if they did decide to be together. Right now, it was still up in the air. Yet Alyssa being with Broken Jaw was an uncertain compatibility. His arrogance, hotheadedness, and his tendency to pick a fight with anything that makes him mad? That does not seem like a good pairing. At the same time, maybe Alyssa could be his tether; teach him how to control himself and improve his personality.

Whatever the case, their coupling will not happen unless they let it.

"So...does he know anything about the legend?" Hazel asked her.

Alyssa shook her head. "I doubt he does. His mother never told anything about it, otherwise, he would have told me. Had she not abandoned him as a youngling, he may have learned about it." She then let out a sigh and took a glance at the complicated male. "Poor Broken Jaw. He hates his family for leaving him. And when he met his mother again, he gave her the hatred that built up inside him over the years."

"I can sympathize…" the human muttered.

Before Hazel was taken in by Nigel, before she made Prehistoric Park her home, she had a normal life. She had a loving mother and father, and a younger sister she could count on. They were a happy family living in Florida, having all sorts of adventures. They shared laughs, they cried together, and went through all the ups and downs of life.

But all that changed when her father, Jacob, went missing at sea. He left home on a mission related to a major discovery he made. Hazel's memory was a little rusty, but she recalled it was related towards the plans for a sanctuary of sorts. It was not until Nigel took her in that she discovered the sanctuary her father was pertaining to was Prehistoric Park. Her father never saw the Park finished. And her family life was never the same. Her mother became distraught with the loss of her husband. She had difficulty with raising two children while having a job that demanded much of her time. Hazel and Hanna had to live with their grandparents while she was off earning money to support them, but she rarely spoke with her daughters. Eventually, after their grandparents died, Hazel and Hanna were separated on their living preferences. For Hazel, it was with Nigel, and for Hanna, with some family friends.

The young woman rarely spoke with her sister, but she grew despondent of her mother over the years. Her leaving to support her children gradually broke any ties Hazel had with her. Every time she tried to contact her, she would be too busy to have a simple conversation. Her estrangement grew to a point where Hazel gave up on reconnecting with her mother. Now every time her mother tried to call her, she would reciprocate the cold shoulder she was given over the years. Sure, she had that conversation with Aladar the day he defended his title as leader, but she had no intention of rekindling her family bond…her heart was not into it at the moment.

Hazel knew where Broken Jaw was coming from. But from what Alyssa was talking about, his was a more complicated case. His mother only cared about survival, and was willing to abandon one of her children that had a handicap. Hazel was familiar with being abandoned, and thus sympathized with the _Allosaurus lucasi_.

"I cannot help but feel pity for him," Alyssa broke the human from her thoughts. "The last thing his mother taught him before she left was how cruel the world was. 'The weak die while the strong survive.' That was her final lesson to him."

The Asian choked a gasp. Survival of the Fittest. There it was again, except in that very phrase. Broken Jaw's mother abandoned her son when he received his trademark injury. She believed his injury was a death sentence, and did not give another look at him when she turned away. Broken Jaw survived, but was scarred with the pain of his family leaving him. That same phrase came back when Hazel and Flia witnessed Al talking to a _lucasi_ named Red Sand. She too spoke that phrase.

The phrase was too similar. Broken Jaw's mother and Red Sand. The thoughts that ran through her mind screamed the obvious. They could not be the same individual…could they?

"Who was his mother?" Hazel asked, hoping her suspicions were not correct.

Alyssa eyed her with surprise on how eager the human was on the subject. She shrugged, hoping her answer would sate her curiosity.

"His mother's name…was Red Sand."

Hazel nearly stumbled on her footing when she took a step back. Total realization struck her like a brick wall. Red Sand was the _Allosaurus_ that she, Flia, and Al defeated hours ago. She was the _Allosaurus_ that only knew of the dark side of life. And now, Hazel found that same dinosaur that died from Al's merciful kill was Broken Jaw's mother. Now it all made sense. Red Sand believed survival was the only way to go. She saw the world as a place that could kill you at any second. She did not care about whether anybody was dying or not, so long as it furthered her goal of living.

That ruthless bitch was the one who made Broken Jaw who he was today. He would have shunned the world had it not been for Caius and Flit.

Hazel hated her for her beliefs, especially how she treated Broken Jaw. Yet, at the same time, she also felt remorse. Her final words to her somehow made her feel melancholic. What if she was right? When she became leader of Prehistoric Park, she may have to make some unsavory decisions. They could be decisions that those around her would disagree with, but it would benefit everyone else. What if Red Sand's warning was true? If Hazel did not make the right decisions, she might end up doing something that would jeopardize everybody around her. The only way to solve those problems would be to do something she might regret.

She pushed those thoughts aside. No, she was not going to let that happen. Red Sand grew up in a land that was always against her. She was forced to live in a landscape that had scarce food and little water, where the sun always beat down on her relentlessly. Red Sand had no choice but to be tough. Now she was dead.

Hazel hoped that the huntress that was as harsh as the desert wind and had a heart of cold ice finally found peace.

"Hazel? Are you alright?" Alyssa called out.

"Hm? Yeah. Yeah I'm fine," she broke out of her trance then made up a half-lie. "I'm just thinking about what Red Sand and the rest of her family would think if they met Broken Jaw again."

"Knowing Broken Jaw, he would probably kill them. He never liked them after that traumatic day in his childhood. The next time he met his family, he killed one of his siblings. He even made it clear he didn't want anything to do with them."

The human nodded in understanding. Though she did not like the idea of killing your own siblings as an act of hatred over a grudge, she felt pity for Broken Jaw over his emotional turmoil. "I get where's he's coming from."

Her frown eventually turned into a yawn. "Well, I'd better get some sleep. Today's been a long day. Thanks for helping me."

"Oh, but I barely helped," Alyssa pointed out. "I'm sorry I couldn't offer you more answers."

"No no. It's fine. You helped me big time," Hazel told her.

"Well, alright then. Goodnight," the predator turned to leave for the forest nearby.

"Goodnight. Catch you later," the human left in the general direction of the barracks.

Her mind was now filled with new bits of information as well as a new perspective on the lives the Residents once lived before coming here. When she came to the Allosaur Dunes, she arrived with the intent on checking on Alyssa's health. Meeting Caius and Flit again as well as seeing Broken Jaw in the park was a surprising, yet relieving development. The _Allosaurus_ she had failed to rescue twice over the past several days was now living in Prehistoric Park. Of course, he and his friends going through the portal without her knowledge were a bit of a surprise. Had she and Flia known they were here, they did not have to go back to the Jurassic period to do another rescue.

But that would mean neither of them would have met Al. And neither of them would have helped get him the medical attention he needed.

Then there was the revelation of Red Sand being Broken Jaw's mother. Though she hated the Allosaur for how she treated those around her, Hazel felt pity for her. She was not as privileged as the other Residents here, where they lived in habitats that were more amiable than the one she came from. She tried to get her to come with them to the 21st century, but the predator refused. Instead of living out the rest of her days, she chose a swift, bloody end to her life in the Salt Plains.

Finally, there was the legend of the Grey Skins and the Yellow Skins, the real reason why Hazel approached Alyssa. Though she did not get the full story on the legend, she got the idea of what it entailed. Two separate _Allosaurus_ species were rivals to each other; both of which had different ways of thinking. Alyssa and Al's species was taught to avoid Broken Jaw's species. Broken Jaw's species only knew of survival, and leaping before thinking. Both of them opposed each other, yet from what she learned today, the new _Allosaurus_ Residents seemed to get along.

Maybe, when Al gets introduced, they could break the wall of the rivalry their kinds had.

Hazel hoped it would end up like that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Prehistoric Park Infirmary…a couple days later

11:00 AM

Things at Prehistoric Park seemed to have gotten busier after Hazel and Flia's return. The arrival of the new _Allosaurus_ brought some popularity to the Jurassic carnivore, as well as the new Residents in the Allosaur Dunes. Al's medical treatment was a priority over the next couple of days. His broken limbs and gashes were not the only ones he sustained from that difficult day. It turned out his ribs were shattered due to the beating he received from the female he tried to attract. Suzanne and the rest of the vets had to perform an operation on him just to apply some plates to the broken ribs, thus putting him under an induced coma. This meant they had to unravel the bandages they painstakingly applied to him. Although it seemed like a hassle, it was much needed as they were due for a change.

Al was under an induced coma for a couple of days. By the time Hazel received the news he was awake, she immediately rushed towards the infirmary. But by the time she reached the infirmary, there was no trace of a large grey carnivore inside. When she asked one of the veterinarians on break, she was informed Al left with Marcus to go on a tour of the valley.

Hazel was disappointed she just missed Al. She was hoping to get some more information on the Yellow Skin and Grey Skin story. But her disappointment fell away when she saw the two other occupants inside the infirmary; an adult crimson and brown _Supersaurus_ and her pale-skinned offspring.

Hazel spent the past few days catching up with all the Residents, at least, the ones that she got along with. However, she made one exception with Rascal. She visited and scolded him for being rude to Caius and Flit. The _Troodon_ merely cackled and called her out with stupid insults before retiring for a nap. Things were pretty normal around the park, though the rumors of the new _Allosaurus_ additions AND the culprits of the food warehouse raid spread like wildfire thanks to Espantos. Some of the Residents were relieved the thieves were caught, as they were worried their food supply was ransacked. Others were amused of the whole spectacle and admired the two small carnivores for their tenacity to sneak passed the security.

The woman was also happy to see Baylene was going along swimmingly with Charles and his herd. She knew that the _Brachiosaurus_ would get along well with the sophisticated giants, even though they were smaller than her significantly. Hazel felt like kicking herself for not thinking about finding a _Brachiosaurus_ herd to rescue. Baylene did request to her two days ago if she could find some more of her species on her next trip. She was in the Jurassic period and they were one of the most common species around. However, she and Flia did not find any when they were there. It was odd, but the traveler assumed the herds were migrating around for greener pastures. It would make sense to not see them during times of drought. Nevertheless, Hazel made a note to have that as one of her future priorities.

All of the other Residents were going about their daily business, her friends especially. The news that the _Triceratops_ , Theo and Ellie, were now a couple was pleasing. She got the full story on Eema, who had been making frequent visits to them. Apparently, she became not only a good friend to the couple, but a grandmother-like figure to them. Hazel was happy that the two of them were now getting along; and in a matter of time, the park could be seeing some more hatchlings.

She did not bother to visit Diablo because she was in no mood to play catch-up with a carnivore that had a grudge on her. Instead, she got her update on him from Bob.

Overall, things were going on as usual.

"That's it Clearwater. Slow and steady."

Hazel stood by the opening into the infirmary. Before her, she watched as Suzanne helped the competent Clearwater get used to his newly fixed leg. From what she was seeing, the youngling was just fresh out of surgery. His lower part of his right leg that was bent inwards was now covered in a white hardened cast, which also had a splint around it for extra support. The foot was now straight thanks to the medical materials. Now the young _Supersaurus_ was no longer hobbling on one side, but was struggling to get used to the sensation of having a straight posture again. The pure white cast and black covering would prevent him from bending the foot for several weeks to a few months, but knowing him and his mother, they were willing to wait that long.

Speaking of his mother, Woodstock watched happily as he went through the exercises on his leg. Her tail swayed slowly into a curl until it rested near her feet. Hazel took one look at the limb and saw a change on it. Before, it looked torn and bloody due to Broken Jaw ripping it apart; mostly to ease his hunger but perhaps as a little payback to the sauropod for breaking his maw. Hazel had to use up most of the bandages she brought that day to wrap up the injury. Now the skin had grown back, taking on the form of a stump. It would be a matter of weeks before the tail was back to its former glory.

"Ow…it kind of hurts a bit," Clearwater winced when he lifted his leg by a couple of feet.

"I know," said Suzanne. "Your ankle will be a bit stiff. But give it time. Right now, we're just getting your bones used to the weight they lacked for a while."

Woodstock gently nudged her son on his snout. "Don't worry baby boy. These guys know what they're doing. Just keep at it and your leg will get better."

"That's right Clearwater. Keep doing those exercises and you'll see some improvement soon."

The new voice made the duo of longnecks and the veterinarian turn to the doorway to the outside. Their faces became a mix of joy and surprise when they saw the youngest Prehistoric Park member step up to them.

"Hey Future Lady!" the former _Supersaurus_ alpha greeted. "Didn't see you there. When'd you get here?"

"Just now," she replied. "Seems like Clearwater's operation was a success."

Suzanne nodded before getting back up. "Yup. We got his cast on and his splint. Now we just need to wait for his bones to get a bit stronger. We've also put him on a vitamin regiment to improve his immune system a bit while he recovers."

Hazel smiled, happy to see that things were going well for the Jurassic family. "Awesome," her gaze then switched to Woodstock. "Looks like your tail's growing back."

"Yup!" the mother slammed her stump on the concrete with a loud _**thump**_. "Just a little longer and I'll be back to my waving this thing like I used to."

"And I am truly amazed," the elder woman exclaimed to the Asian, interest beaming in her features. "Hazel, you never told us Supersaurs could regrow their tails. We're still observing the tail's growth rate and it's phenomenal! It's like that of a whiptail lizard!"

"I didn't know either until after I met Woodstock."

Suzanne giggled. "Nigel certainly was ecstatic when we told him of Woodstock's tail. He spent several hours in his office trying to find some fossil evidence of sauropods re-growing their tails."

"And? Did he find any?" asked Hazel.

Her response came with the shake of her head. "Unfortunately no…"

The girl let out a sharp breath. Of course, evidence of sauropods re-growing their tails seemed preposterous in the eyes of the scientific community. He was surely going to have a hard time proving that one. He could turn it into a theory, but overall, it sounded like something out of a science fiction movie.

"Yeah it's going to take a while."

"What's going to take a while?" said someone from behind.

Turning around, they saw the figure of Nigel Marven walk in. Hands in his pocket and an expression of intrigue on his features, he strolled up to the group of four until he was within a few feet of the gentle giants.

"Oh hey! We were just talking about your reaction when you found out diplodocids could regrow their tails," Hazel mentioned.

The man chuckled, his hand running through his hair in a sheepish manner. "Oh yes...I'm still trying to formulate a good argument to make to the scientific community about that. Finding evidence won't be easy AND I'm not even sure they'll believe me if I did tell them."

"Well don't give up on it," the young woman prepped. "It's a groundbreaking discovery. Why not start with it just being a theory? Like find some aspect of their tails that match that of whiptail lizards?"

"That's what I was thinking," his attention was then diverted to the Jurassic giants before him. "And how are you two doing?"

Woodstock shook to contain her glee. "Pretty darn good Nigel my man. My tail's doing just fine and my baby boy here is getting the feels back into his foot."

"That's good to hear. I'm glad things are looking up for you two."

The _Supersaurus_ looked over at Hazel, immediately changing the subject. "So I hear we got a newcomer recently? Mind if we know who and what he is?"

Before Hazel could explain, her mentor beat her to it. "His name is Big Al, or Al as Hazel likes to call him. He's an _Allosaurus_ _fragilis_...or as he usually calls his kind, one of the Grey Skins."

Woodstock sputtered and gasped. Her stammering made the humans worry. The nervous reaction of a gentle giant put them on edge, as if she was going to go on a tirade about what they did wrong. "Sweet Maker on high! You got another Allo!? He didn't try to hurt you did he?"

Hazel shook her head, trying to right herself in front of the surprised sauropod. She had forgotten that Woodstock, Clearwater, Charles and his herd went through a tour of their own as well. When she asked Bob about how they were faring in Prehistoric Park a few days ago, he told her they were a bit uneasy at first when they came across the carnivores in the area, especially around Diablo and the Tyrannosaurus rex twins. Nigel and Yin reassured them there was nothing to be afraid of and that most of the carnivores, except for a select few, were quite friendly. They took it better than Aladar and Neera's herd when they found out; they took the upgraded security measures on the Perimeter collars to heart.

"Nope, I told him if he tried to hurt me or Flia, then a few of our friends here would beat him up. I MAY have mentioned you a little bit."

Woodstock groaned, disapproving of the human's quick thinking during her last trip to the past. "Aw come on Future Babe! Using me in a threat? Not cool!"

The girl shrugged her shoulders, showing some guilt. "Sorry. Had to think of something. He's cool now. In fact, he's off with Marcus right now taking a tour of the place. Don't worry, he vowed not to hurt anyone here. AND he already had his lunch so he's not hungry."

"Well that's a relief," the herbivore breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, right when Hazel was about to talk more about her recent mission with the family of two, she felt a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. A quick turn later, she found Nigel gesturing her to head outside with him. Hazel always knew when her mentor had something important to bring up with her. Whatever it was, it seemed significant if he wanted to pull her away from a friendly conversation.

"Hazel, I'd like to speak with you for a moment…alone," he said in a near whisper.

The woman nodded and returned her gaze back to her audience. "Sorry guys, got some business to attend to. I'll see you guys later."

"Alright, take care Future Lady! Don't get too comfortable around that Nigel guy! He looks kind of old for you!" Woodstock warned her.

The young employee's face contorted into a scowl. Nigel, Suzanne, Woodstock, and even Clearwater broke out into laughs.

"Excuse me!? Woodstock!"

"Relax!" she calmed, recovering from her laughing fit. "I'm kidding! I'll catch ya later!"

"Bye Hazel!" said Clearwater.

The park leader and his protégé parted ways from the two patients and the head veterinarian. The hurried pace that Nigel was going at made Hazel quicken her own. It was not long before they were out in the open, wandering towards the general direction of the Holding Pens.

The employees they passed by all greeted them. Some of which spoke with Nigel on the updates on any of the Residents. There was news on the Bugs in the bug house having a shortage of cockroaches, the lemurs asking to try out some new fruits in their diet, Irwin's barrier poles needing some maintenance due to some loose wiring, and other minor issues. Nigel handled them all with ease.

Once that business was taken care of, his attention was directed on the woman walking alongside him.

"Alright Nigel. What's up?" she asked him once everything became quiet.

"Hazel, we need to talk about your social skills," he told her simply.

Hazel eyed him with a bit of suspicion. "Social skills? What do you mean? I get along with everybody."

And what she spoke of was true. She was not one to shirk on her own work, but she was also not one to pick fights with anybody unless it was out of the defense for others. Hazel was tolerable around everyone else and so far has a good work ethic. Nigel wanting to talk to her about how she was with her social ethics was not normal at all.

"I know that, but that's not what I meant. You're not exactly on an agreeable level with others at times."

Hazel gawked. Anger started to build up within her. Her face nearly turned a bright shade of red. "What!? Wait, is this about my argument with Flia? We've already made up!"

Nigel sputtered, which then gave way to cluelessness on the subject. "What? No! Wait, what argument?"

The woman sighed. She forgot she did not explain to Nigel why she had been acting distant a few days ago. The reason why she kept quiet about it was because she did not want to sit through a lecture about accepting the views of others, especially on Darwinism, or even Social Darwinism. Hazel already learned her lesson, and having a repeat of her last talk with Marcus and Flia about this with him would just be redundant.

"Um, never mind," she excused that thought. "We patched things up. But what do you mean? I get along with everybody. I don't start any conflicts. I do everything that I'm told. So what's the problem?"

Thankfully, Nigel did not delve more into the offhanded issue. "Hazel, the problem doesn't lie with how you interact with others. It's on who you are interacting with."

Hazel became lost on the matter. "Um...what are you getting at?"

"Hazel, you've been spending too much time around the Residents and not enough time around other people. You're on a much deeper connection with your friends in the Valley AND with the Residents rather than the other employees here."

The Filipino scoffed. "So? I'm on a tight-knit bond with you, Bob, Marcus, and Suzanne."

The man kept his calm composure despite her growing temper. "I know that. But I mean the OTHER employees. You're not setting up any network connections with them."

"Why?" she faked a laugh, hoping to put a damper on the serious atmosphere he was creating. "You're not making me hook up with them, are you?"

Her answer came with a face palm. The attempt at making the situation a bit more lighthearted failed.

"Hazel, I'm serious," the park leader frowned. "You're going to take over for me in the future. If you're not in fine-tune with the other employees, and then they might as well call you a bad leader. You need to be on a deeper level with them so you will know how they work and what to expect. Plus, you'll be working with them every day once you take over."

She waved a hand up in frustration. The look she gave him equated to that of a teenager expressing annoyance. "So what do you want me to do?"

He cocked an eyebrow up. "I don't think I need to tell you, now do I?"

Hazel's mouth fell agape. Her look transformed from defensive to anger and shock in an instant. "Are you saying I should cut off my ties with my friends!?"

Nigel narrowed his eyes and retained his calm composure despite her immature outburst. "No. I didn't say that. I mean you should spend more time around your own species. You'll learn more about how to handle the Park and everyday life by learning from the other employees rather than spending so much time around the other Residents. None of them know how to be human. Yes, they can give advice on life lessons, but still, they're not human. Aladar and Neera can teach you how to be a leader. You can get some wisdom on how to communicate with others with Plio and Yar's lemur clan. You can learn how to respect others with Flia and some of the other Residents. But they can't teach you everything. We may now have the technology that allows us to level with the Residents on an even level, but we're not like the Residents. Believe me, you'll get more benefit from being with the other employees than with your friends on your training."

As much as she did not like the sound of it, he had a point. It took a second for Hazel to process what he was telling her. Here he was, going out of his way to voice out his concerns, and she was thinking of it as some kind of insult. Hazel felt shamefaced for nearly calling him out.

Nigel was not wrong. Whenever she helped the other employees around the park, she would either go into a full-blown conversation with the Residents while she worked rather than do the same thing with the other employees. The other people who make small talk with her are only met with a conversation that lasts for less than two minutes. And some of those people were new hires that started working at least a month or two ago.

Bonding with the Residents rather than her own species seemed innocent in her eyes. But after hearing Nigel voice out his concern, she began to see herself as someone who made a mistake she overlooked. Her friends were like her family. The senior employees were a part of her inner circle. Yet she neglected the other people around her.

Hazel felt ashamed. She now felt like the odd woman out among all the employees in the valley. Her sad eyes and regretful sigh portrayed her agreement to the man's reason.

"Don't worry Hazel," he comforted. "You'll still have everyone at the park. And I'm not saying to try to make connections with just anyone here. Perhaps you can start with the other employees closer to your age. A comfortable playing field if you would."

At that moment, when she was about to reply to that, the man's radio on his belt beeped to life. For a moment, there was static, which was then followed by a man screaming. Nigel quickly brought it close to them, a sense of dread building up in their guts. Their worries escalated when they heard the sounds of roars along with a loud crash.

" _Attention any keeper, particularly the ones with tranquilizers and stun guns_ ," said the voice, who they recognized as Marcus Rey. His panicked tone rang in their ears like an alarm. " _We need some assistance here at the Allosaur Dunes! We've got a big problem here!"_

Fear slammed into them like a punch to the gut. Nigel pressed the button on the side and replied hastily.

"Marcus, this is Nigel. What's going on?"

" _It's our new arrivals here! They've broken out!"_

"What!?" Nigel screamed into the radio. "What do you mean!?"

" _I don't know what happened! I came back here as soon as I got my toolbox so I could check on the security generator, and I find Al and Broken Jaw at each other's throats! Now they're loose in the park!_ "

"Where are they headed?" Nigel questioned, motioning Hazel to follow him to his jeep.

" _Um, I think they're headed straight for the interior of the park!_ "

"Oh this is bad… _"_ Nigel lamented. He then switched his radio to the Park's general emergency frequency. _"_ Attention any keeper on site. I want you to drop anything you're doing and get yourselves armed! We've got two Allosaurus on the loose! Amp up the voltage to 7 on those stun guns! I need people with tranquilizers on the ready! _"_

Nigel released his hold on the buttons; the radio returned to his right side. The two of them shared a glance before driving off. That worrisome minute was enough for them. Something was wrong with the new Residents. Whatever it was, if it was not contained soon, everyone in the valley may be in danger.

Both feared the worst. Both Al and Broken Jaw seemed like friendly individuals despite everything. To hear that they were LITERALLY at each other's throats sounded unthinkable. Neither Hazel nor Nigel had any idea what really happened. But what they did know was that it was trouble. They hoped they would get there in time before things got worse.


	17. Rivalries Unhinged

Al soaked in the new sights around him. He may have been a predator that lived in a time that had things beyond anyone's imagination, at least in his terms, but never before had he seen things within a valley that was so temporally distant from his. There were creatures that he instantly recognized, like the _Diplodocus_ and _Supersaurus_ , and of course, the humans. He was surprised when he saw the herbivores in this park did not cower from the sight of him. In fact, they were tolerant of his presence. It was odd for him, and even odder that they welcomed him in the valley.

The tour of the day began after he had breakfast in the cave which he learned was called the "infirmary". A human named Marcus, whom he learned is a friend of Hazel, was there to greet him. Hazel was busy, from he was told, and that this Marcus was going to give him a tour of the valley. He was an amiable human, just like Hazel, but he was always confused whenever he would talk to the other humans regarding matters related to "tech-no-logging". Al filtered those conversations out whenever that happened.

The man led him around the park, introducing the Residents that lived in the lush green valley. Al was happy that the rock-like covering on his foot did not hinder his walking capabilities. When he arrived, his toe hurt whenever he moved. Now, he barely felt a slight twinge at all. The _Allosaurus_ wondered what sort of healing techniques they used to lessen the pain. But as he pondered, he felt a headache coming on. This land was so strange yet wondrous.

Al was fascinated by the numerous Residents. Some of which he got along with easily, like water-bound Irwin, who lazily lay under the sun. Al never saw a carnivore like him, nor had he heard of such a gruff, informal accent. He was surprised that such an intimidating, rough predator like him could be so friendly. Another Resident, or in this case Residents, that he became friends with were the Rex twins Matilda and Terrence, and the Sabertooth family. Well, he thought the Sabertooths were a family. The cubs denied the adult mammals as their parents, saying that a human named Suzanne was their mother. Like the other Residents, he was intrigued by them, appearance and all.

There were a couple of Residents that he found himself not on good terms with, primarily the tiny carnivore named Rascal, the giant furry mega-mammal with the giant horn, due to him chasing him off when he got a little too close to his territory, and the behemoth red carnivore known as Diablo. Out of all those experiences, he found that Rascal did not take kindly to anyone while Diablo had no interest in acquainting with newcomers. However, it was him calling Al "an insect in his eyes" that made him gain distaste for the giant flesh eater.

Then there were the creatures that he could not make heads or tails of, such as the one named Espantos, who would not stop asking him questions about him or talking about utter nonsense, which happened during the whole time he was in the infirmary. Then there were the _Therizinosaurus_ , who spoke in a broken language that made his ears cringe, but he found them to be tough warriors when he witnessed the leader take on one member of his "herd". The claw strikes and clashes amazed Al on how strong they were. Then there were the bugs in the so-called "Bug House". Al thought of insects as nothing more that pests, but when he encountered the Carboniferous Residents, all thoughts of insects meaning nothing faded. The insects were huge! And the place they lived in had air that could make his lungs explode if he stayed there for too long.

And of course, there were the rest of the Residents. The Residents that resided in the valley were too astounding to comprehend. His highlight was when he traveled to the Valley Plains. He only caught a glimpse of the herd that lived in the valley, and the small long-tailed mammals called lemurs, as he was warned by Marcus to not get too close to them, at least until some "social issues" were resolved. Al heeded that warning; he had no interest in getting too close to, for doing so would ruin his first impression. He did, however, meet the leaders of that herd. Aladar and Neera, as they were named, were quite friendly towards him. The _Iguanodons_ were not fearful of him, which surprised him again. They welcomed him as if he were some stray, even though he was a species that could eat them if he wished to. They had the air of "protectiveness" and compassion around them, something that was becoming of strong, benevolent leaders.

The one thing that Al made to sure remember during his tour was the rule of not harming anyone in the valley, whether it was out of spite or to sustain his appetite. Marcus had made it clear that the humans would cater to his needs, so there was no need to hunt. That and everyone were treating each other in a neighborly respect…mostly. Al did not question that law, as he was happy that he would not be going hungry or have a need to hurt the neighbors he was getting to know.

The other thing he was told was that some of the Residents would be wearing things called Perimeter Collars. From what Al could glean, the collars were to ensure the safety of everyone in the park. He was also told that there was word going around that they may not be very useful in the future, as the walls between predator and prey were starting to dwindle. Marcus mentioned that as soon as the "social issues" were resolved, there would be no need to have such measures. Al was happy about that, and steeled some patience for when that time came.

Al met most of the Residents by the time early afternoon hit. Right now, they were on their way to the last couple of Residents, which he heard from Marcus that he "saved the best for last".

"And we're here!" the human gestured to an enclosure that had palm trees and had a forested glen much like the ones in the Jurassic period.

The trees reminded him of the cycads and palms he was accustomed to seeing back in his time. The ground was nearly bare, with patches of ferns dotting the area. A large pond lay situated within, which was large enough to accommodate more than a handful of individuals. A small forest lay within, which provided enough protection from the sun; the perfect place to go and rest. As for the enclosure itself, it was large enough for a predator like himself to move around in; there was so much space that he could run around in circles all day.

"What is this place?" inquired the predator.

"Allosaur Dunes. It's where you'll be staying in."

"Really?"

Marcus nodded. "We made it look like your era as best as we could. I hope this meets your standards."

Al glanced down at the human, shooting a toothy grin. "It's perfect! It reminds me of my time."

"Awesome! Hey, I need to run and get something back at the infirmary. I can't really go anywhere without my toolbox. Plus, I really need it so I can check that security generator here," the man said in a bit of a hurry. "You okay with sticking around here until I get back?"

The predator nodded.

"Alright. I'll be right back."

With that said, Marcus made a run for the opposite direction, heading towards the building that Al resided in for days. The _Allosaurus_ had no idea what a security generator was, but he did not care. Everything in this new world was either amazing or confusing.

When he returned his attention to the enclosure, he noticed something move from the tree line ahead. He became ecstatic when he laid eyes on the large carnivore that approached a pile of meat near the fence barrier. The meat, which he learned was turkey after Marcus showed him what it was when passing by one of the other carnivores' enclosures, was dotted with strange white small rocks. When he arrived in this park, he thought he was the only predator of his kind to be here. Now, seeing that he no longer was, all he could feel now was joy.

Al slowly approached that end of the enclosure, staying well close to the wooden barrier. The female, as he deduced due to the smell she was giving off, seemed to not have noticed his presence. The _Allosaurus_ called out to her, eager to start a conversation with one of his own kind.

"Um, hey there!"

The female jerked her head up, looking at who called her. She gasped, staggering back a few steps when she saw another of her kind standing on the other side of the fence. "Oh! Uh, hello. I didn't see you there."

"Heh, sorry. I didn't know you lived here," he said. "I thought I was the only one in this valley."

"Well, I thought I was the only one living here too, until you arrived," the female remarked sweetly. "I'm guessing you just got here?"

"Yeah, woke up is more like it. Well, I have been awake for a while," he mused.

The grey female leaned a little closer, curious at how he came here. "Woke up? You mean you woke up in this place?"

"Well not exactly," he shrugged. "I did walk into the valley a couple days ago when I followed that two-legged mammal and that huge flyer through that weird light."

"Hazel and Flia?"

Al gawked, hearing the names of the two females that helped him before. How did she know about them? Did those girls rescue her too? It would make sense if they did. "Yeah! Them! I went through that light, I walked into some odd cave, lay down as more of that kid's kind surrounded me, felt something sharp on my side, and kind of fell asleep. Next thing I knew, I was awakened by the smell of a pile of meat right in front of me. Then somebody named Marcus came up to me, we exchanged a few words while I ate, and he gave me a tour of this place. Turns out I was out for a bit."

The huntress looked at him, interested in his arrival story. "Wow...so what happened before you arrived?"

The bull hunter shifted awkwardly. "Erm...I got into a couple messes in one day. A girl dumped me when I tried to impress her, lost my dinner later that day, and I got into a fight with a Yellow Skin bitch that was crazier than a loopy _Diplodocus_ that ate a few red puffs."

"Wait, you got into a fight with a Yellow Skin?" her brows furrowed.

He nodded. "Those two girls that found me helped me out. When we beat her, they attempted to help her with her injuries, only she refused big time. Then she asked me to kill her out of mercy, which I did. Gotta admit, I never thought THE Red Sand would want to go out like that."

"You fought Red Sand!?" she shrieked like a rambunctious pterosaur.

Al shook his head, his ears pinging in slight annoyance from the sudden outburst. "Yeah, why? You know her? Heh, you probably do since she's labeled as the most dangerous bitch to have ruled the Salt Plains."

"Yes...I heard of her. But that was a really stupid thing you did! Getting into a fight with her. You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Yeah well, she was freeloading off of my hunt," he defended. "And she insulted our kind...I couldn't just let it go unpunished."

The female huffed. "Still, that was a really stupid thing you did," she then eyed the casts he had on his arm and foot. "And your poor thinking got you hurt too. I doubt those injuries you have will heal in the next couple of days."

"Eh, I don't mind," he said in a dismissive manner. Al raised his casted arm in a slight wave and then lifted his near-broken foot. "I kind of like these things on me. Makes me look tough. If anyone thinks about biting my limbs off, these things can just break their teeth."

The _fragilis_ huntress chuckled in a snarky manner. "Oh now you're just being cute."

"Really?" Al caught on to her mannerism. He strutted alongside the fence for a few steps, showing off his muscles on his body. "Because I'm adorable."

"Okay now you're just being weird," she frowned.

"What? It's just my charm," Al said with a chuckle before clearing his throat. "So, how'd you end up here?"

The slender female shook her body, easing the muscle tension that built up when she got up, and unknowingly shooing off some small insects that landed on her. "Well, I'm here because Hazel and her friends rescued me. I was off hunting for some food when I found some prey lying next to a pond. Thinking that I could get a free meal and some water, I decided to go. Turns out my decision nearly killed me because I got stuck in that mud. Then Hazel and Flia found me a few days later, they got their friends to help me while driving off some _Ceratosaurus_ , and then they got me to this place. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be talking now."

The male gasped, taking a few steps back. He felt the beating thing inside him accelerate, and he could have sworn the air became harder to breathe. Al remembered that day when he saw a female stuck in a mud bank. He watched her go there to get some carrion to eat, only to get stuck. The female then called out to him, pleading for his help. Rather than risk his life by going to help a larger individual that could kill him for a meal, he fled, valuing his own life. Out of the marvels that he experienced today, he never thought he would meet someone from his past.

Al thought that female died that night. He never returned to that bank since that day. Now, here she was, healthy and alive. He felt the guilt of not coming to her aid creep in his bones. He could not help but feel frightened that day; it was everyone for themselves. Now, he was speaking to this female, and he saw how friendly she could be. Hazel and Flia no doubt saved her, even though she was a larger carnivore that could kill them. This valley accepted her. And yet, he did not give her a chance.

For the first time, Al viewed himself as some kind of villain for not doing the right thing. However, he needed to know for sure if this was the same female. Al did not want to worry for nothing if this was not the same individual.

"Wait a minute; you said you got stuck in a mud bank, right? What was the prey that you said you went after? Was it...one of those spike-tails?"

"A _Stegosaurus_? Yeah," her eyes narrowed. "Wait, how did you know that?"

Al gasped. This IS the same female! Deep down, he felt like he was backed up into a corner. There was no way for him to flee now. If he did, she would know the truth. Who knows what would happen? She could break out and try to kill him for refusing to help her in the past. Or she could call upon the other Residents in this valley and call for an unnecessary uprising. Either way, he was now in trouble.

"Um...lucky guess?" he sheepishly replied.

"Wait a minute..." she crept closer and sniffed the air. "You look and smell…familiar. Have we met before?"

"What!? No! No, we haven't met before!" the hunter tried to deny, hoping that she would drop the subject and start off fresh. "I mean, I would remember meeting a female such as yourself that got stuck in the mud that called out to me for help before I retreated out of sheer cowardice."

Al choked on a breath. How stupid could he be!? He just revealed his dark secret to her! It must have been due to being trapped against a metaphorical corner that was making him feel this way. He looked away, showing the shame that decided to show itself after several years.

"You!" she gasped. "You're the one from the bank! The one who I called out to! I knew I saw you from somewhere!"

"Hehe…surprise?" he revealed nervously. He had no idea how she was able to tell he was the same one from the bank. Everyone in their kind looked the same. Maybe it was how he smelled? Whatever the case, there was no escape out of this now.

The female growled unhappily. "You sure have a lot of nerve, leaving a trapped lady like that..."

"Hey I'm sorry okay?" Al begged for her forgiveness. "I was a kid back then. I didn't know any better. If I was in my place the way I am now, I would have helped."

She snorted indignantly. "Please, you're just saying that so you could worm your way out of this one."

"No I'm not!" he protested and then sighed. "Look, you probably won't get this, but I'm just going to say it anyway. Until recently, all I've been doing was look out for myself. But after my first trial in the Salt Plains, I saw the world as a much harder place to live in than where I grew up in. I saw someone who looked out for me killed by a Yellow Skin. I stood by and watched as that creep tore at his throat, and then he lay in front of me, gasping before he no longer breathed. The face he made when he died always stuck with me, whenever I could, I helped out others of my kind, before retreating if they were out to get me, which they mostly did."

The huntress eyed him, a brow going up when she became slightly convinced at the newcomer's words. "You...helped others?" she spoke in a cautious manner.

"Yeah. I didn't want what happened to Takomo to happen to someone else that could help me. I just didn't want to sit by again."

Her guard went down. Al's testimony reached her like a bee to its hive. "Hm...I guess you're not as bad as I thought you were. I'm sorry about calling you out."

Al shook his head. "No no, I deserved that. I wasn't likeable back then. Plus, I was pretty scrawny back then; I didn't know what to do."

The predator's eyes darted over his form. "Hm, you're not so scrawny now."

The male strut once more, putting tension into every step he took and showing off his powerful arms. He caught the sight of her blushing a little at his actions. "I'm glad I got to meet you again," he said, stopping his musings. "What's your name?"

"Alyssa. And you?"

"Uh...you want the actual name or what Hazel usually calls me?"

"Your actual name," she replied. "Why would you want to deviate from what you were called by when you hatched?"

Al gulped, his face heating up from the embarrassment. "My name's...pretty embarrassing. Are you sure you want to know?"

His answer came as a nod.

"Okay...it's Alekanekelo. But you can just call me Al; that's what Hazel calls me," he said with a hint of remorse.

"Hm...Alekanekelo. I like it," Alyssa replied with a smile.

Al's eyes bulged. "Wait, you do? And you said my name right!"

She nodded. "It wasn't that hard for me. Though if I were going to call you something else, I'd call you 'Smart Alek' because you lived with what knowledge you got before getting into some bad luck."

He took slight offense in her jab. "Hey! Those were honest mistakes! Besides, you didn't make any better decisions yourself 'Lissy'."

The huntress laughed, though she took slight offense in the new nickname. "Oh now you're getting onto that? What is this? A nickname war?"

"Could be. You know, for a girl I just met, you're pretty sharp."

Alyssa smirked, enjoying the compliment. "Heh, and for a guy who likes to help out others, you sure run into a lot of bad luck. But...I like guys who are like that."

"I just do what I think is right."

"Hey, do you want to come over?" Alyssa gestured into her enclosure with a flick of her head. "I can ask someone to let you through."

The bull leaned in a little closer. Just finding out that he was not the only _Allosaurus_ in the valley made him happy. But speaking to an actual female that did not rebuke him violently was enough to make him want to squeal happily. Al was not like that, but deep down, he felt like a hatchling that just got his first kill. Alyssa was everything he wanted in a female; accepting, strong, and possessing a defensive attitude. And now she wanted to get to know him more.

Al leaned a little closer. Her feminine scent flooded his nostrils. Her welcoming smile beckoned him closer.

He never got to when the moment was interrupted by a disturbing roar nearby.

"Hey hey, what do you think you're doing? Getting all comfy without my input?"

The two _Allosaurus fragilis_ froze. Stiffly turning, they became apprehensive when they saw a fuming _Allosaurus lucasi_ storming up to the edge of his enclosure. Al gasped, having not expected to see a Yellow Skin to live in this valley. When he quickly analyzed the enclosure from afar, he wondered why there was a barrier in the middle. He forgot to ask Marcus when he had the chance.

Now, he knew why. There was a Yellow Skin living on that side. And he lived next to where Alyssa was staying! Al tensed up, remembering the horrid run-ins he had with the Yellow Skins, especially the recent bout he had with Red Sand before his arrival in the valley. In his mind, he had the feeling that being near this Yellow Skin would spell trouble for the both of them.

"Uh...uh..." he stammered, too aghast to answer the Yellow Skin's question.

"Uh uh what?" the deep-voiced predator said in an insulting tone. "That a new language you're using?"

"Broken Jaw, relax," Alyssa calmed him, ignoring the indirect threat he was posing. "This is Alekanekelo. He's a newcomer who's just exploring."

"Humph, exploring and talking," he hid a scowl. "Here I am, minding my own business, and then I see you talking to some stranger without my consent."

The golden warrior glared at the female, making her back up submissively. "What the heck was going on in your mind? The guy could have been getting all sweet with you before he did something bad, that's what."

"What? No! We were just talking!" she defended.

"That's not exactly what I saw just now," Broken Jaw turned his attention to the _Allosaurus_ he started to view as a rival. "You sure got some nerve 'Greyhead', trying to take someone else's mate away."

The two _fragilis_ predators stammered before shouting in unison. "Mate!?"

"Broken Jaw, I never agreed to such a thing!" Alyssa protested protectively. She then looked at Al, softening her features into an apologetic expression. "Please, this is not what it looks like. He and I aren't...we never were!"

"Never were what?" he glared at her tentatively. "What are you talking about!?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Broken Jaw, I was okay with us being friends, but I never said we could be mates!"

The _lucasi's_ crooked jaw fell agape. The face he took on was that of someone who lost everything. Broken Jaw looked away, hiding the apparent heartbreak that was infesting his mind.

"But...I thought we had something special!" he hid his coming grief; his voice choking in the process. "I stay up long after you go to sleep to make sure nothing bad happens to you and I give you my share of food. Not to mention a whole bunch of other stuff! Were those for nothing? Did those mean anything to you?"

"Look, you're a good friend," she tried to console him. "I liked all the times you helped me. And I thank you for all the sweet things you did for me. But we never were what you thought we were. I don't see you and I together. I'm sorry. I've only seen you as someone who I could acquaint with, nothing more."

Broken Jaw then did something unexpected. Rather than shed a tear, he laughed crazily, almost like a maniac. The two _fragilis_ predators were put on edge, half-expecting the crazed hunter to come charging after them for the new "betrayal".

"So...you do hate me. Heh...well this is great," he shot daggers at the female.

"No! I didn't say that either!" Alyssa tried to make herself look brave. "I like you Broken Jaw, but just as a friend!"

"Yeah? Well you should have brought that up before I started doing all that stuff for you!"

"I'm sorry!"

"You know what?" he chuckled madly. "I know why you're acting like this. It's because he's here, isn't he?" the predator looked at the stoic Grey Skin male.

"What? What are you talking about?" Alyssa replied flabbergasted.

"You know. You'd prefer him over me," Broken Jaw deduced illogically. "Well you know what, that's something I'm not going to take."

The yellow-skinned cripple turned his attention to Al, his gaze searing into the rival's soul. "You're probably too stupid to notice, but you've got no business here. I'd say you just move along and forget this ever happened..."

Alyssa backed away from the two of them. When Al looked at her, he saw the fear in her eyes. Fear over the possibility of him getting harmed. The _fragilis_ male stood his ground, staring back at the male that was taking her as his own without her approval.

"Al, please," she quietly begged his help.

"Ignore him, Alyssa," Broken Jaw growled. "He's just trying to sway you over to him. The only one who can help you is me."

"No," Al said darkly. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You're invading someone else's personal space. I know what you want, but I'm sorry to say that it's not going to happen," he inhaled and calmed himself for the rational approach. "Look, I know we just met, but I was in your place at one time. I overlooked my own boundaries when I was being insistent. And what did that get me?"

Al raised his arm, showing off the injury that was given to him by Red Sand. "I was lucky to have gotten out with just this."

The spined-one guffawed loudly. "Wow! And you couldn't have done something about it? You let them beat you up! What a loser!"

Al hissed threateningly. His composure dwindled quickly over how his species' honor was being treated. "Typical Yellow Skin. Freeloaders on claiming what others worked for. And now you have no sense of sympathy. You really are just a bunch of hard-headed assholes."

"Oh what's that? You want my girl?" Broken Jaw beckoned in a predatory manner. "Well come on over and we can get this settled properly."

The _fragilis_ bull shook his head. He knew what this Yellow Skin wanted. There was a time when he nearly got into something like that before…back in the Salt Plains. Al narrowed his eyes, still standing his ground. "No. I've already fought one of your ilk, and she was stronger than you. You're not worth my time," he said with a threatening step forward. "Now I'm only going to say this again, and I hope I don't have to repeat it; leave Alyssa alone. You will respect her wishes. She doesn't want to be your mate, not now, not ever."

The sandy-colored warrior snorted in amusement. "Oh ho ho ho! You think I'm just going to back off and let you get what you want? You better think twice because I'm not letting you do that. I've already lost a lot over the years; my birth family, my home, and a chance at a normal life. Now, you're going to take away the only girl that I've ever gotten close to. You think you're doing the right thing by making me back off? What're you going to do next? Try to move in on her? Judging by the look on her face right now, I doubt she wants to be with you either. You say I don't have a right to claim her? Well, you don't either. From what I'm hearing, you being all macho and brave right now is just to win her over. So if I'm hearing you right, you're no better than me."

"Perhaps," Al said in a trivial manner. "Or perhaps not. But I do know one thing. You're just a dim-witted dunghole who always gets into trouble because he never knows what he's dealing with."

Broken Jaw hissed with seething anger. He took a step closer to the wooden barrier, ignoring the fact that a twinge of electricity was going up his leg. Unknowing to the other _Allosaurus_ , the pain that he was experiencing was nearly nonexistent to him. Only anger was his drive, which blocked out any sense of agony to his brain. "What...did you...call me?"

"You heard me," Al slowly approached the angered male's side of the enclosure. "You're a dim-witted dunghole. You're a coward who only hides behind words. You're a big, strong macho guy who's just a spoiled brat."

"You askin' for a fight?" Broken Jaw heeded to indirect threat. "We can do that, here and now. Just say the magic words."

"I didn't say I wanted one, but I will fight you if you so choose. I defeated one of your kind before. She claimed herself stronger, but I killed her."

The Yellow Skin cackled unimpressed. "Haha! You killed another like me? That's cute. What was her name? Must've been stupider than yours."

Al gave him a smirk, and said a name that made the _lucasi_ gawk. "Red Sand."

Broken Jaw stared at the Grey Skin for several moments. The idea that his own mother died at the claws of this predator seemed unfathomable. Red Sand was the toughest hunter in the Salt Plains, surviving for many years off of her sheer willpower and strength. Being taken out by him seemed inconceivable, but the notorious Red Sand was gone. She was out of his life…forever. Whether she was lost to him through time or murder, she was no longer alive.

And he reveled in it.

Broken Jaw laughed with glee, not once unnerving the _fragilis_ male. "So! She's finally dead! My bitch mother is finally dead! HAHAHA! Good riddance! You took her out? HA! Now THAT'S adorable. She must've been stupid in her moves. Typical, she must've been too old," he eyed Al with a malicious desire to kill. "Thanks for telling me that. Killing you is going to be all the more satisfying."

He roared and jumped back. In a furious frenzy, he rushed up to the fence and slammed into it. His body screamed as the electric shocks coursed through his being, but he showed no signs of feigning. The only thing that did suffer in his rage was the wooden barrier that kept him from the outside. Splinters splattered onto the ground while the wooden stalks bent over to reveal the jagged insides.

Again, he backed up and did it again. This time, more of the wood gave way. The ground became littered with the splinters. Again and again, he slammed against the wall. His body stung with the electric shocks of the human-made contraptions. Broken Jaw ignored his pain, allowing his anger to drive him to his desire to murder the one who was about to ruin his life.

"Broken Jaw! Stop it!" Alyssa screamed at him, seeing at how much punishment his body was going through from the sparks that were flying from his Perimeter Collar. "You're killing yourself!"

If Broken Jaw heard her, he gave no indication. With one final charge, he slammed into the wooden gate. Wooden and bark gave way as he smashed through the barrier. The foundation of the fence collapsed onto the ground in a sickening crash. The beams that connected the fence fell to the side while still remaining attached to the foundations they originated from. The debris that suffered from Broken Jaw's relentless attack flew all around, smashing into any object that was in their way.

Al backed away, horrified by what had just occurred. Marcus told him the collars were there to keep everyone safe. Al did not understand it then, but he did now. He saw the electric sparks flying from the collar when Broken Jaw kept slamming into the fence. The collars were there to make sure nobody broke out! Not much good it did now… He expected Broken Jaw to fall from the torture he was giving himself. Al was so sure he would exhaust himself from his sheer act of stupidity. But no, Al miscalculated.

Broken Jaw was free…and he was now after him.

The _lucasi_ snarled at the Grey Skin. His face radiated murderous intent. Saliva dripped down from the sharp teeth of his ugly maw. His tongue licked his teeth as he imagined Al dead in his grasp.

A wiser individual would have turned and run. But Al had no intention of running. He was through with it. With a stomp of his feet and a stubborn snort, he met his match head on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Caius and Flit stumbled out of the green brush in their enclosure. The crashing of wood along with roars aroused them from their afternoon nap.

"What's going on here?" the _Rhamphorhynchus_ yawned, nearly falling back on his place aboard Caius' back.

His answer came in the form of the now-broken fence before them and the sight of their ward fighting a grey-skinned _Allosaurus_ much like Alyssa outside their enclosure. Flit gasped and squawked in alarm, further waking the _Ornitholestes_ from the half-asleep state he was in. "Sweet Being Almighty!"

"What on earth has happened?" the lithe predator exclaimed. He shut his eyes when he saw Broken Jaw get slammed into another part of the wooden fence, mere inches from one of the broken parts of the wood. Any closer and he would have met a swift end via his neck getting punctured.

Caius looked over to his right and saw Alyssa cowering near the trees. He quickly approached her, almost forgetting the pterosaur that was still on his back. His hurried pace nearly made him fall off.

"Alyssa! What has happened?"

The female looked at the two smaller carnivores. Her face was riddled with fear, both for the safety of the two _Allosaurus_ and her own. She opened her maw, trying to say something. Only stammers and incomplete words escaped.

She was too frightened to properly speak.

Caius and Flit did not wait for an answer. The _Rhamphorhynchus_ flew from his perch towards the two warring carnivores, while the Ornitholestes ran after him. They approached the warriors, intent on ending their feud.

Instead of successfully stopping them, they were thrown back towards the trees via a stray tail slap from the ward they intended to save from the grey intruder. The two of them collapsed on the ground, the impact hit their skulls hard. They were unconscious within the minute.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Marcus arrived back at the enclosure, his toolbox in tow in the trunk along with his ATV that he picked up. In his ears were his earphones, which were attached to his phone that he kept in his back pocket. His hearing was flooded with the song Ignition by TobyMac. The sounds of screaming singers and an epic electric guitar drowned out any sounds of conflict from outside.

But he did not need to turn down the volume to see the devastation that occurred while he was away. The man skid the vehicle to a stop, sharply turning it to avoid getting any closer. He quickly dismounted and ran up to the two carnivores, standing just about ten feet from the warring males. Marcus yanked his earphones from his ears and stuffed them into his pocket.

"Holy shit! What the heck happened!?" he yelled, just narrowly avoiding getting stomped by Al, who unexpectedly maneuvered towards him.

Suddenly, in an instant, the two predators took their fight elsewhere. Their attention was still on themselves, but they did not notice that they were headed towards Marcus' ATV. Al dug his jaws into Broken Jaw's neck. He yanked him around, trying to inflict damage on his tissue. Blood oozed out from the deep teeth marks he made. Then, with one quick movement, he threw the predator down…onto Marcus' ATV.

The vehicle crashed under the weight of the large carnivore. The metal and parts stood no chance against the weight of a Jurassic carnivore. The wheels rolled out in all directions, the handlebars flew out from their positions, and the gears within splintered out.

"Oh come on! I just got that cleaned!"

The predators they decided to take their fight away from Allosaur Dunes. Marcus watched as they made their way deeper into the park. Questions of how this happened along with what went wrong filled his mind.

He looked back at the enclosure and found his answer, at least part of it. The security generator that was situated nearby emitted small smoke clouds. Marcus ran over to check the status of the generator. He did not need to open the compartments to see that it had overheated. Whatever had caused it to short circuit had something to do with this fight.

This was what Marcus was afraid of. He needed to go back to get his toolbox so he could run a proper diagnostic check on the generator to make sure it was working properly. Apparently, he arrived too late. The generator short circuiting and the apparent war between the _Allosaurus_ males contributed to their escape.

He was reliving his worst fear again…the park was about to have another breakout.

Marcus brought up his radio and quickly turned it on. He screamed into it in frantic urgency.

"Attention any keeper, particularly the ones with tranquilizers and stun guns. We need some assistance here at the Allosaur Dunes! We've got a big problem here!"

It did not take very long for a reply to come. Shouting on the other line was an equally terrified Nigel.

" _Marcus, this is Nigel. What's going on?"_

"It's our new arrivals here! They've broken out!"

" _What!? What do you mean!?"_

"I don't know what happened! I came back here as soon as I got my toolbox so I could check on the security generator, and I find Al and Broken Jaw at each other's throats! Now they're loose in the park!"

" _Where are they headed?"_ Nigel questioned, sounding as if he were running.

"Um, I think they're headed straight for the interior of the park!"

" _Oh this is bad…"_ he quivered in his voice. _"Attention any keeper on site. I want you to drop anything you're doing and get yourselves armed! We've got two Allosaurus on the loose! Amp up the voltage to 7 on those stun guns! I need people with tranquilizers on the ready!"_

Nothing more was said for the next few moments. Marcus shut off the radio and stored it on his belt. He rushed out towards the interior of the park, since his vehicle was destroyed and there were no jeeps nearby.

Little did he know that his ATV was not going to be the only thing that will be destroyed this day.


	18. All's Fair in Love and War

_**Soundtrack: T. rex Showdown by Daniel Pemberton**_

Blood. The familiar smell of the metallic-smelling liquid infuriated his nostrils. Blood from prey was considered a lead to a meal. But blood from his body was not a good sign.

Al ran as fast as his legs could take him. The cast on his right foot hindered his speed. The hard cushion made him feel like he was walking on hard mud; he was having a hard time running properly due to his inability to bend his toes. Behind him, just a neck's breath away, was a furious Broken Jaw.

"Get back here you Grey Freak, so I can rip that pretty head off!" Broken Jaw roared venomously.

"And let you go about your desire to claim someone as your own without their consent? I think not!"

"She's my girl!" the yellow warrior spat.

"She was never yours to begin with!"

The _Allosaurus lucasi_ did not let up in his rampage, not even when their battle involved the safety of everyone around them, particularly the humans. All around them, park employees scurried away to escape the carnivores' rampage. Jeeps were either squashed by their weights or overturned. Standalone equipment was either broken or scattered. Some of the employees that were unlucky to be in the way of the carnivores were knocked aside by their tails or accidentally kicked away.

Al felt sorry for the damage they were causing. However, he did not have time to apologize. Stopping Broken Jaw and convincing him of his mistake was all on his mind.

And the park was paying the price for it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Deinosuchus Dip_

Irwin was enjoying a nice nap. Today was an uneventful day for him. The modern day crocodiles would usually flock around him and have some nice conversations or would just nap on his body. None of which he minded at all. In fact, the giant crocodile had taken to considering the smaller reptiles his extended family. Today, however, it was a quiet one. The crocodiles were napping all around the enclosure; their bellies stuffed with the meal they had for the day.

Espantos had yet to visit them for the daily news cast. The _Deinosuchus_ was neutral towards the eccentric Terror Bird, though sometimes he would consider the Miocene predator to be a bit obnoxious to his nonexistent ears. But, it was the best way for him to get the scoop on the other Residents.

Yes, today was a good day. He had a large meal, the day was warm, and his sleep was rather enjoyable.

 _ ***ROOOOOOAAAAAAAR***_

The crocodilian jolted awake. The crocodiles in his enclosure scattered to the far side of the enclosure, either by scrambling on land or swimming.

Irwin looked in the direction of the roar, which turned out to be where the boardwalk was. His reptilian eyes bulged in shock when he saw two giant two-legged carnivores going at each other's throats.

"Holy Dooley!" he cried out over their roars and snarls. "Nobody told me there was an unscheduled wrestling match!"

The semi-aquatic bound carnivore watched as the two Jurassic carnivores fought each other. Irwin did hear that the park got a couple of new rescues, courtesy of Espantos' messaging. Plus, he did meet an _Allosaurus_ named Aleki. Or was it Alekino? Bah, he promised to get the hang of his name sooner or later. But he was shocked to see the same carnivore he met fight against this yellow Resident that looked a little like him.

He saw them exchange claw strikes, savage bites, shoves, and a couple of tail swipes at each other. With the boardwalk being supported by beams in the water, it was a wonder on how it was still standing with their combined weights. Being a carnivore himself and having watched so many fights in the past, he could not bear to watch his own neighbors fight against each other.

"I better stop this before somebody gets hurt," he quickly rushed into the banks of the water. One stroke in the pond and he was already underwater.

Even from underwater, he could still see the battle going on. Irwin saw the yellow _Allosaurus_ fall into the water thanks to Al tripping him with his tail. The _Allosaurus_ _lucasi_ then made a swim towards a nearby bank, with Al hot on his tail after diving in. They may be strong predators on land, but even they are not strong swimmers.

Eventually, they made it onto shore. When they did, they resumed their fight. The _Allosaurus_ _fragilis_ jumped onto the near-exhausted Yellow Skin to deliver a neck bite, only to be thrown off at the last minute. As the two of them fought, they were unaware of the coming danger. Irwin scrambled onto land and ran as fast as his small, scaly bent legs could take him.

"Oi! Will you two break it up!?"

Unfortunately for the _Allosaurus_ , none of them caught his command. Irwin's command was drowned out by their roars and snarls. By the time he was at the peak of his holler, all they could hear was a primeval thundering hiss. The two predators, knowing that they were no match for a large carnivore like this, retreated. The _Deinosuchus_ gave chase, determined to stop their fight.

Al and Broken Jaw may be smaller than Irwin, but they made up for the size difference in speed. It did not take very long for them to reach the edge of the enclosure. Even the aquatic patches of wetland grass and sandy dunes did not hinder their running. While the more notable end of the pond was the boardwalk and had the Barrier Dome poles to keep Irwin inside, this end was blocked off by the usual high wooden fences.

Those fences, while sturdy, were unable to hold two charging _Allosaurus_ in place due to the doorway not being secured properly. The predators charged on through, leaving the gate agape and slightly broken. Irwin reached the end of that enclosure…and received agonizing volts of electricity thanks to the collar on his leg.

"Gah! Sonnavah-!" he roared in pain. Irwin backed up, quickly shaking off the electricity that ran through him.

The _Deinosuchus_ was a large predator that could shake off a number of injuries, but even he was not immune to electricity. He could only watch helplessly as the two _Allosaurus_ ran off deeper into the park, roaring and attacking each other. Irwin worried about the safety of everyone they came across. And he cursed himself for reusing the same strategy he used against a rampaging Diablo during the last breakout. It worked against Matilda before, but due to the Perimeter Collars, he was unable to get a clear shot.

It was a careless action in his part.

"So much for trying to help..." he grumbled as he slowly retreated back into his pond. "I sure hope our human buddies can handle this one..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Troodon_ Grove…

Rascal was enjoying his afternoon meal of raw chicken drumsticks and beef slices when he heard the roars. At first, he thought they were just the other carnivores of the Park trying to act all macho by shouting in the air. His prior notions were dashed when he saw one of the humans' ATVs swiftly crashing through the air while on fire.

The _Troodon_ stumbled back at the shocking piece of destruction. Never before had he seen a huge chunk of metal crash and explode. The huge puff of smoke and the smell of burning metal infuriated his sense of smell. He had been in the park for years and he had never encountered something like that.

He wondered what could have caused such a ruckus. He did not have to ponder for very long when he saw two giant carnivores tackle each other to the ground right in front of him.

The Cretaceous lithe hunter sped up to the edge of his enclosure. A smarter individual would have turned and run. But Rascal was anything but cowardly. He watched as the two _Allosaurus_ carried out their scuffle. Claw strikes, bites, tail swipes, roars, snarls, and all manners of attacks were exchanged. Blood dripped on some parts of the earth, creating an abstract of red streaks.

Rascal cackled as he marveled at the brawl that was "laid" at his doorstep.

"Haha! Never thought we'd be having a fight here in this boring place. Gouge out his eyes, Grey guy!"

Said _Allosaurus fragilis_ sent a claw strike to his opponent's face, creating three scratch marks that ran just below the eye. The injured carnivore stumbled away, shaking his head and apparently blind to attacks.

"Hey Yellow guy!" Rascal yelled with bitter amusement. "He's coming at ya! Go for a throat bite!"

Broken Jaw obeyed that piece of advice and clamped his teeth onto the rawhide of Al's neck. The _fragilis_ carnivore screeched in agony as the desert denizen shook him like a ragdoll. Al was then thrown helplessly aside…and crashed onto the security generator and part of the gate of Rascal's enclosure.

The bits of metal, fire, and wood splattered everywhere. Rascal had to back away in retreat before any of them hit him. Although he was alive, he was furious that he was nearly caught in their crossfire.

"Hey! Watch where you're throwing him you piss-colored freak! You could have killed me!" he rasped angrily.

Suddenly, as soon as Al got back up into the fight, Broken Jaw broadsided him. Rascal had to flee towards the end of his enclosure just to avoid getting crushed by those giant feet. If there was one thing that the _Troodon_ did not like more than the "goodiness" in the park along with everyone living in it, it was anybody that was indirectly trying to kill him. Rascal was more of a fighter, not a coward. He would rather stay and drive his intruders out rather than flee.

"You idiots! You're trashing my home!" he roared at them.

Then, something caught his eye. The sight of a broken down fence and the security generator destroyed nearby gave him another opportunity. Rascal made a toothy grin. It had been a long time since he was able to stretch his legs. Without that generator running, he could not be able to bypass the fence that the humans put up.

"Eh, screw this. I'll have those dinky humans fix this mess. FREEDOM!" Rascal cackled as he fled from the scene.

The _Troodon_ reveled in his newfound independence. The last time he ran around this pathetic excuse of a sanctuary was when he accidentally followed that Nigel guy through the portal a few years back. After exploring the park for a bit, and raiding their food storage without them knowing, he found entertainment in spooking one of the sauropods they recently rescued. His little stunt resulted in the park's first ever breakout, which was a huge mess that Nigel managed to fix after he tranquilized Matilda, one of the T. rexes. Since then, the keepers that found him kept a closer eye on the _Troodon_.

Though his "stay" was comfortable, he still harbored ill feelings towards the humans for "not appreciating a joke". And it did not please him when the humans found a way to communicate with him. Now he could not talk smack whenever he wanted with the language barrier down.

That was the past, and this is the present. He was free, and he loved it.

As he sped away from his enclosure, he took note of a group of humans that were running in the opposite direction. Their weapons held tightly along with the orders they were giving out indicated they were off to handle the _Allosaurus_ that were fighting.

"Hey you dinky keepers!" he slowed and turned to watch them go. His gait kept going as he kept retreating backwards. "You're wasting your time! They're just going to turn you inside out!"

If they heard him, they gave no indication of it. Rascal shrugged and righted himself before speeding away. "Eh, whatever. They're dead anyway. Time to scare me some longnecks!"

Several minutes had passed. Rascal paid no mind to the chaos that the humans were being put into. When a group of them would be running towards him with stun guns or jeeps, whatever their reason may be, he would just weave out of the way. When he passed by some Residents that were questioning what was happening, including those who had the guts to ask him for any updates, he would shrug and tell them to go screw themselves, which they heavily disliked and shooed him off. Either way, all he cared about was taking care of his own needs.

Rascal was not evil. No, he was nothing like that Carnotaur he heard caused destruction in the park some time ago by creating another breakout as fuel for his revenge. Rather, he more or less enjoyed causing frustration to others for his own amusement. Scaring the titanosaurs during the first breakout was unintentional but he did enjoy seeing the chaos around the park. He had not laughed hard in a dog's age.

Trying to scare the sauropods again was going to be a tough challenge. He did hear from that brat Hazel that they would squish him if they ever saw him again. Trying to scare them again would be harder. He would have to be more careful in this one.

Unfortunately, his plotting was interrupted when his snout met a pillar of red skin.

"OW!" he exclaimed, his body now smashed against a huge girth of a leg.

Backing away, he soon found himself looking upon a sauropod much like the titanosaurs in the park, with only a few differences. One, this one was bigger. Two, this one had reddish skin with white-cobweb patterns. Three, the muscles were leaner. Finally, there was the fact that this one had a pale-skinned youngling walking close by.

"Oops! Sorry little dude," said the giant, apparently female, behemoth in a hippie tone. "Didn't see you there."

Suddenly, the _Troodon_ did something that would have sent most small creatures, or paranoid giants, running. However, it had little effect on two longnecks from a period that was always out to get them.

Rascal roared. The screeches he let out reached the nonexistent ears of the Jurassic giants. The mother and child shook their heads, just mildly annoyed. Other than that, they stayed where they were. And it was not long before the small carnivore finally quieted down.

"Ow! That hurt!" whined the pale-skinned youngling.

"Yo, what's the big idea!?" the lithe predator gawked at the two of them.

"What do you mean, little dude?" asked Woodstock, who craned her neck down so she could be at his eye level. "What's with all that roaring? If you're mad about us getting in your way, we're sorry."

"What!? No! You're supposed to be running off scared!"

The _Supersaurus_ raised an eye ridge. "Scared? Little dude, my boy and I have been roaming around a land where anything could kill you, including the heat. We got a lot of things to worry about, and little carnos like you don't do anything to scare us."

Rascal screamed. "AGH! Damn it! When did the big guys get so gutsy!?"

"I don't know, Little Dude," the giant mother scrutinized him for a moment and realized something. "Hey...how come you're out of your territory? Did someone let you out?"

The yellow-hued Troodon cackled sarcastically before becoming serious. "Oh yeah! Sure! Someone let me out so I could ruin somebody else's day! No! I haven't been out of here since that one breakout years ago. I just found my chance to stretch my legs when those two douchebags crashed into my abode and ruined my early dinner!"

Woodstock sputtered at the mention of a scuffle. "Wait, what? Who crashed into your home? I don't recall anyone here being so downright douchey to do that."

Rascal's eyes rolled. How much of deadweight can this hippie longneck be? "It's two of those new carnos that Hazel-brat rescued. They're getting up on each other's throats about something. Whatever it is, it's big if they're trying to kill each other."

It was then that the _Supersaurus'_ eyes lit with worry. Rascal may not be too informed about Woodstock and her antics, but he would know when a giant was scared. As reserved as she was during the first few minutes they met, he anticipated her going on a nervous rampage.

"Oh boy...are both of them Allos? What did they look like?"

"Lady, I don't know what an Allo is! All I do know is one's grey and the other's yellow."

The massive sauropod gasped and then shook her head. An aura of disappointment and frustration rolled into a ball emanated from her. "Shit, BJ's gotten himself into trouble," she then turned to the youngling, which Rascal deduced was her son. "Baby boy, I need you to find Charles and the others, tell them what's going on. If I know BJ, one big lady like me won't be enough to stop him."

"Okay. Careful Mom!" he said as he ambled away in the direction of the home of the titanosaurs, or in this case, the sauropods that lived in the valley.

Woodstock watched as her son hurried back to Titanosaur Treetops. The cast that was now on his leg may have hindered his movements slightly, but she was happy to see that his body was leveled to its proper height. All those exercises that he went through with Suzanne and her vets were paying off as his leg was bothering him less. As soon as he was a considerable distance away, she turned to look back at the small _Troodon_ …only to find him gone. Instead, she saw a set of footprints that led eastward to another part of the park.

Woodstock shook her head with disregard. "Ugh, as much as I'm not a big fan of that little fart, at least he had the decency to tell me."

The _Supersaurus_ hurried off in the direction that Rascal left from. She did not need to worry about where to go due to a number of reasons; the footprints he left behind, the frantic humans with those "metal tubes they carried" running in that same direction, and the sounds of crashing and roars.

Getting lost was the least of her worries at the moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Meanwhile at Elasmotherium Grassland…_

Julie was busily performing maintenance in the _Elasmotherium_ enclosure for the day. She had heard from Bob that the wooly rhino's habitat had some kind of a problem, according to the senior keeper, which he had heard from the Resident himself. The Ice Age denizen was not very…tolerant of anyone near his enclosure. The only time he would let anyone into his abode was for the usual work that needed to be done; cleaning his enclosure, giving him food, grooming him, etc. Once they were done, he would usually chase them out.

That was why not many people, or even Resident, would attempt to get close to him.

At least today, nobody was on his hit list. The gruff megafauna had mentioned something about the foliage and boulders not helping him in keeping his horn maintained. Upon entering the paddock, Julie brushed her shoulder length black hair behind her ear as she looked around saw that the trees that were around the enclosure had their barks stripped if their woody texture. Instead, she saw huge gouges from something sharp, along with stray splinters of bark sticking out. The rocks, while sturdier, had huge gashes on their sides. Any geologist would first think of erosion, but those marks were recently made by something sharp.

The Resident here had been attempting to groom his own horn but to no avail. The megafauna was apparently irritated by it, which put the keepers on edge. One of the keepers questioned the "Big Guy" about it and what they could do to fix it, but his answer came in the form of an intimidating reply followed by an irritated stomp. "I don't know, just get it done! Use that creativity that you humans pride yourselves for!" was what he said.

For the past few minutes, Julie had been assessing the damage in the enclosure. She took notes down about which trees and rocks needed replacing, along with ideas on how to solve the _Elasmotherium's_ "horn grooming" problem. She was somewhat wary of the giant mammal, however, his bluntness was honestly refreshing as he was usually direct. Besides, whenever she was in his habitat, Julie had a rule of thumb she always followed; "if you don't bother him, Big Guy wouldn't bother you".

She nearly yelped in surprise when she heard a huff and heavy footfalls behind her.

"Damn humans, so timid against powerful beings unless they have their clever tools. Or of the same mindset of their slow-witted stronger cousin species."

Julie perked her head and turned, immediately interested in Big Guy's offhanded comment. "By the sound of it, you've ran into humans and Neanderthals before," she quickly wrote in her flip-notebook. "That sounds like a story."

"Is that what you humans call the larger sub-breed of your species?" he questioned with hidden wariness.

"Yeah, you know: The large nosed, bigger-headed, probably brutish, Ice Age variant of Homo sapiens."

The _Elasmotherium_ snorted. He turned away indignantly. "Yeah, well one thing was for sure, I held them in hirer regard than Humans for a long while before I followed Nigel to this place. At least your larger cousins could hold their own in a fight."

The lone woman's eyes narrowed. This was the first time Big Guy ever spoke about his past. What caused him to bring it up? Surely not the maintenance in his enclosure. Did they catch him reminiscing? Whatever it was, this was a milestone for them.

"Ok, now you HAVE to tell me the story behind that," she placed her hands on her hips. "Come on, please!"

The mammal with the seven-foot tall horn grunted. "I only met one Neanderthal youngling when I was younger. She was actually the first one to give me a name. Foolish girl…naming me after the sound of my horn scraping."

Julie mouth fell agape. Surprise welled up inside her like a volcano about to explode. "Wait, she gave you your NAME!?"

Said megafauna choked. He mumbled a curse as he let slip a piece of information about himself. The woman stood there, waiting for him to expel more information. Unfortunately, before she could write anything down, the peace was broken when two giant carnivores came crashing in.

All of the keepers fled in different directions when the _Allosaurus_ crashed through the fence. Julie screamed and ran to the edge of the enclosure, ready to escape through the gaps in case they came her way. She did hear through the radios that there was a problem with the _Allosaurus_ in the park. Her team debated on whether they needed to go and help the others with dealing with them. They agreed to let those with stun guns handle it. Though they knew that any problem in the park was their business, keeping the Big Guy happy was also priority. Him going on a rampage, however miniscule of a chance, was a bad thing too. Besides, none of them were armed and chose to remain in the _Elasmotherium's_ company, since he could protect them if they asked him to. Well, that was not true. He only cared about his lawn being clean.

Everyone panicked as they watched the two _Allosaurus_ destroy the area. Some of them, who were the smartest at the moment, pulled out their radios and started yelling about the situation. As Al and Broken Jaw attacked each other, they were causing more damage to the enclosure. Trees were uprooted or broken by their tail swipes or shoves. Rocks were moved about. The grassy terrain was starting to turn into a natural warzone.

Soon, the two of them brought their battle close to a frightened Julie.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Somebody, help me!" she screamed.

Just then, before they could get too close, the _Elasmotherium_ turned and pawed on the ground. The giant mammal snorted and grunted before charging up to the two warring predators, right before the two of them could clash again.

Five tons of Ice Age muscle with a seven-foot spire of keratin intercepted them and struck. Broken Jaw was struck on his lower jaw with his horn. Thankfully, it being blunt, it only grazed his side and made a non-fatal scratch. His attack was then followed up with an uppercut to the underside of Big Al's mouth. The two predators became slightly dazed from the surprise attack, however, when they came to, they found that same megafauna coming back at them.

The _Elasmotherium_ poked and prodded at their sides while grunting and bellowing at them. Al and Broken Jaw knew a threat when they saw one. For one thing, neither of them knew how to handle a giant mammal with a huge horn. That and they were never put in this sort of position before. Both of them were swiftly chased away from the wooly rhino's enclosure, towards the hole they created.

The mammal roared triumphantly as he watched the two of them run away, albeit while exchanging attacks with one another. He turned around and slowly approached the recovering Julie.

"Thanks for that," she shakily said with a nod.

"Whatever," he grunted. He slowly walked away, approaching a mound of hay that was placed for him earlier. The ambush had made him hungry. "Call someone to fix my home. I hate having my lawn dirty."

The woman quickly brought her remote out to report the damage, but not before exclaiming a crucial detail that remained unanswered.

"WAIT! You still didn't tell me your name yet!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bob's Workshop…

Bob was having a bad day. First the scheduled wrestling match with Theo had to be postponed due to the Triceratractor needing maintenance, then he was asked to babysit a couple of younglings in the valley while the adults attended to some "business", whatever it was. Someone had also taken his toolbox and misplaced it somewhere in the park. And now, he and his team received word that two of their _Allosaurus_ had broken out!

His workshop was never crowded. There would only be a handful of people there putting supplies together or doing some organizing. Now it was crowded with employees grabbing stun guns and tranquilizers. His workshop was, in fact, one of the many places where such weapons were stored.

"Hurry up boys! All hands-on deck!" he called out to the other employees that were rushing out through the double doors. Bob had to practically yell that out, as the roars of the Jurassic carnivores were heard not far from their position.

As he came out of his workshop, he was approached by a young man in his thirties. His Prehistoric Park garb had been covered in dust and sweat, indicating he had been running for quite a bit.

"Sir! We've got a problem!"

"What? What is it?" the senior keeper slowed to a stop. "We've already got enough problems with those Allos goin' about!"

"But that's what the problem is!" the sandy-haired man blurted fearfully. "We need to get out of here, now!"

"Son, don't you think we already know that! Everyone in the park is in danger!"

"It's not that! It's that they're coming towards us!"

Bob's eyes bulged in horror. "What!?"

 _ ***CRASH***_

 _ ***BOOM***_

 _ ***CREAK***_

Bob and his subordinate barely escaped a horde of falling brick, wood, and plaster. They drove onto the ground and managed to crawl away on their legs. The screams of the other people increased in frequency as the roof of the workshop collapsed on itself.

The cause of the damage had come from a certain yellow-skinned _Allosaurus_ that fell on top of it. The kicking and squirming he did as he tried to get back up only added the damage. The equipment inside were smashed by his gargantuan feet and tail. Any glassware was shattered in an instant. Other sturdier equipment either flew from one side to another or was dented. What was once the egg nursery, which was made for any late-bloomer eggs from the Residents, was demolished by one of his kicks. Luckily, there were no eggs around that would suffer from the carnage.

Broken Jaw may have demolished the interior of the building, including the roof, but at least a small portion of it was still standing. The only area that was saved by the damage was the storage and garage that led towards the main part of the complex.

Then, as if it could not get any worse, Big Al jumped onto his opponent. The two large carnivores duked it out with each other, while destroying any other leftover portion of the building in the process.

The employees that were already armed charged in. The ones with the stun guns started firing. The taser portion of the guns launched from the ends and connected with the carnivores. Wires attached on their necks, legs, arms, and tails. Small sparks emitted from the wires as the electricity traveled to their desired targets.

Al, while howling in pain, had the sense to retreat from the complex. His mind may have been overtaken by the urge to fight, but he had the sense to not harm the creatures that healed him. Broken Jaw, on the other hand, did not have the same mindset. As a predator that was raised in an environment since the day he was abandoned, along with not having the proper education on emotional control, the _Allosaurus lucasi's_ temper was something that was not very…tethered.

Broken Jaw roared at them. Eyes filled with anger stared down the foolish Homo sapiens that took up arms against him. The shocks irritated his system, which were just as annoying as that electric field that kept him inside his enclosure. One tail swipe and the humans were sent away. A head butt at some nearby was enough to stop the attacks coming from his front. The poor employees landed on their backs, stunned by the attack. Those that were unlucky enough to land on some debris suffered more serious injuries like broken bones or concussions, but none so that would kill them.

"Leave them alone!"

A sudden bite on Broken Jaw's neck returned his attention to his battle against the Grey Skin. The two of them exchanged claw attacks thereafter. Back and forth, they exchanged attacks without letting up. Eventually, the mangle-gaped oppressor got the upper hand and threw Al off to the side via a neck bite. The _fragilis_ , temporarily dazed, could only watch as the deranged predator fled from the scene towards another part of the park.

Al got up, shaking the attack off. Having no time to apologize for the damage to the humans, he made an apologetic glance at them before running after the Yellow Skin.

Bob, who was more or less unharmed, just having a few scratches from falling debris as well as bruises, quickly got up and brought his radio out. Though he was thankful that everyone was still alive, the damage done to his workplace was extensive. Buildings could be repaired, but human lives could not. Seeing the _Allosaurus_ fleeing towards that direction brought about the fear of those that were in that part of the park. And he could only think of a certain group of people that they were headed towards.

" _Bob to Suzanne! My workshop's been demolished by Al and Broken Jaw! Get your team away from the Vet's Surgery! They're comin' towards you!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vet's Surgery…

Unfortunately for Bob, Suzanne had dropped her radio a few minutes ago. She was so busy with the other vets on trying to move all of the delicate medical equipment into the interior of the Vet's Surgery that the radio had fallen off of her belt in the process. This along with evacuating the _Protoceratops_ sisters into one of the interior storage closets as a safety measure was proving to be quite difficult, especially when the two she had were trying to squirm out of her arms.

"Come on, Sarah! We need to hurry!" she urged her assistant as she moved the heart rate monitor into the hallway with a bump of her hip through the door.

"I'm trying! But these two are trying to get into a playfight!" said the blonde who was trying to keep the two younglings in her arms apart.

Irritatingly enough for the two vets, the emergency call they got from Nigel on the _Allosaurus_ breaking out was at a bad time. The quadruplets were just out of their afternoon nap and were just as active as ever. By the time they got them out of the playpen for evacuation, they were caught in a little playfight, or in their terms, a play ball.

"Come here, sister! I want to tackle you!" laughed the one on Sarah's right, who jumped in at her sister. The woman had to restrain her harder due to the amount of strength the youngling possessed.

"I'm stronger! I'm going to win! Ms. Sarah, let us go! We want to play!"

Had it not been for the communicator she was wearing, the vet assistant would have been hearing honks and squeaks. "Girls! Knock it off! Now's not the time to be playing!"

"But I want to play!" the one on her left whined.

 _ ***RRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPP***_

 _ ***CREAK***_

 _ ***CRASH***_

The two veterinarians along with the other vets in the surgery room barely had any time to react as the ceiling collapsed on them. Screams filled the air as they attempted to flee out of the way of the falling plaster. Suzanne and Sarah, on the other hand, squeezed into one of the large carts before the plaster from above pushed them off to the side. The women screamed as they were helplessly pushed away, but the _Protoceratops_ cheered with glee with the new joyride they were having.

Luckily, none of them were in the way when Al had fallen through, and who the cause of the apparent destruction was. Amidst the dust that billowed in the air was a furious Broken Jaw, who had jumped onto Al and started hounding him down.

"You two! Stop fighting!" Sarah screamed over the roars and snarls.

"Yay! I didn't know we have new playmates!" one of the younglings giggled despite the violence taking place.

"And they're fighting too! This is awesome!" said another one.

"Fight, fight, fight, fight, FIGHT!" the other two cheered.

"Girls, enough!" Suzanne silenced the girls. She then turned her attention to the frightened assistant, who was trying to cower behind one of the poles of the cart. "Talking to them won't do much good! We need to evacuate!"

The next opening they received, which the two _Allosaurus_ were taking their fight away from the demolished surgery room, they ran towards the interior of the building. Following behind them were the rest of the employees that were originally trapped in that room, who escaped with only minor injuries. It was a miracle that the rest of the building was still intact. The foundations around it were pretty strong, and it was made so in case of some natural disaster.

They were lucky to be alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hazel's mind was thumping painfully with the thoughts of the crisis the park was in. How could she not have seen this coming sooner? Had she known that the _Allosaurus_ enclosure was complete before she left on her third trip to the Jurassic, then this sort of catastrophe would never have occurred! She could have just told Nigel and Bob to create another enclosure separate from that one so that there would not be any species fighting. But no, she did not think more of the consequences when she first came upon Allosaur Dunes. All she was concerned about was how the Residents inside were doing!

Now she was running around the park, following the trail of destruction the two Jurassic giants were leaving due to whatever they were fighting about. Her legs ached, screaming for rest. Her heart throbbed with the unrelenting pounding from her rushing. Her lungs burned with exhaustion. But Hazel could not stop now. Her home was in danger, and she needed to save it again.

When the woman came across the ruins of Bob's Workshop, she could not help but yell out a curse. No one was around, but judging from the sight of footprints in the dirt, along with some straight tracks that could only mean wheels, she thought that the employees had escaped, though probably with an injury or two. Hazel dared not to think of any casualties from this. If there were, then there would be hell to pay.

But now was not the time for that. Right now, she needed to stop the fighting.

"Son of a bitch..." Hazel hissed as she ran from the destruction. Her only other guide as to where her culprits went was the footprints they left in the dirt. "First I find out that Broken Jaw and his buddies have been hiding here in the park this whole time, then Nigel wants me to spend more time around the other employees, and now Broken Jaw and Al are at each other's throats while they're tearing the park apart!? Jesus!"

As she ranted on about how irritating the situation was, a group of at least twenty employees armed with stun guns marched from behind. Hurrying to her 3:00 position to avoid getting caught in the crowd she watched as the lot rushed passed her. The faces they bore had hidden desperation for the safety of everyone in the valley.

"Hurry up guys! They're headed towards the Valley Plains!" one worker at the front yelled.

"Make sure the voltage is at 7! Remember, don't hurt them! Just stun them!" said another.

"Where are our guys with the tranq guns!?" hollered a worker in a commanding tone.

Hazel, who was tired from all that running, could not help but bend on her knees. With all the hurrying about, she had no time to rest at all. Her body took in the relief of the break; her muscles ached less and her lungs no longer screamed in pain.

The Asian let out a scream of anger. "Damn it...I knew it was a bad idea to put those two _Allosaurus_ species together! Ugh! I should have known this was going to happen!"

"Hazel!"

Her panicky trance was broken from the sound of wing flaps along with something large landing in front of her. Her vision adjustment brought about the identity of a confused and equally worried Flia.

"Flia, I'm sure you know what's going on?" she asked her in a controlled fashion.

Said _Pteranodon_ shook her head. "Not really. I was making my flight laps around the valley when I heard the screaming and crashing coming from here. Next thing I know, I'm flying over a path of destruction! Hazel, what's happening?"

"It's Al and Broken Jaw. For some reason, they decided to kick start some kind of feud or something. Now everyone's being caught in their crossfire."

Flia, despite not knowing what crossfire was, became worried when Hazel mentioned that anyone going through their path of rampage was in danger. "Everyone?"

The woman nodded gravely. "I've checked out the devastation. They broke through Irwin's pond, nearly decimated the Vet's Surgery and Bob's Workshop, tore down the walls of Rascal's enclosure, who I believe is having a WONDERFUL time with this new development, and busted through the _Elasmotherium_ Grassland. I don't know what this is over, but if I had to guess, it's over the core values of their races."

The flyer's eyes narrowed. Hazel may not know this, but she had an idea on the differing personalities between the "Grey Skins" and "Yellow Skins". It was all thanks to their encounter with Red Sand back when they rescued Al. While she did not get the full story between the two species, she did get the idea that they were at odds with each other due to how different they were. Thus, she secretly felt a little uneasy about having Al being next to someone like Broken Jaw. She just did not voice out her concern due to thinking the park staff would resolve the ancient feud.

"Yeah something like that," Hazel frowned. "Look, we need to get to the Valley Plains and stop them before they get to the herd. If they make themselves known while they're in the middle of their feud, I'm afraid all we've worked for in establishing peace in this Valley will disappear in an instant."

"Then let's move!"

The two said nothing else from that moment on. Hazel boarded onto Flia's bare back when she stretched her wings apart. It had been a while since she rode into the skies without the aid of the saddle she received for her birthday. But with or without it, she was used to flying on a _Pteranodon_ whilst in the air.

Hazel clutched her arms together as Flia took to the skies with a jump. One sharp turn and they were headed towards their destination.

The Valley Plains.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Unknown to the devastation happening in the park, Aladar and his family were having a peaceful time. He and his mate, Neera, wanted to get a bit more acquainted with the rest of the lemurs that lived in the Nesting Grounds. Well, more on Neera and the younglings. The only lemurs they knew very well, due to family ties, were Plio and her family. The others, on the other hand, were a bit tentative soon after the change of leadership in the herd.

Then with the destruction of the Fireball and the sudden move to Prehistoric Park, relations with the lemurs became a bit rigid. It would make sense, since they had been displaced and were in a new land. The recent breakout did shake them up a bit. However, things with the lemurs calmed down afterwards. They got used to the valley and started to get to know their neighbors.

Aladar was somewhat close to the rest of the lemur clan, but his family was not, save for his lemur family. That was why he decided to have a little get-together with them to build up on relations.

So far, things in the Great Tree were going well. The giant tree that the lemurs usually gathered in was called that by the humans due to how large and intricate it was. Coincidentally, that was the same name Plio and her family called their tree in their old island. Considering its appearance, the lemurs agreed to the name and proceeded to call it that. Up in the branches, clan members were napping, grooming each other, or feasting on the fruits that were left in the wagon that the employees left next to it. Young lemurs were swinging from one vine to another, with the Iguanodon children chasing after them. As for the clan leaders and the _Iguanodon_ alphas, they conversed at the base of the tree, reminiscing about memories before their first great journey together.

In this case, Plio was having the time of her life telling Neera the funny moments of Aladar's childhood.

"So there was Aladar and Zini, in the middle of that grove, eyeing each other with that mischievous glint in their eyes. A whole pile of fruit and leaves were laid out before them."

The blue-green alpha grimaced sheepishly at the memory of such an event. "Oh no...Plio, do you really have to go there?"

The lemur matriarch giggled before shrugging her shoulders. "What? I've always talked about it. I'll never forget that day."

"Come on, can we talk about something else? I don't really like to talk about it," his eyes darted between his adopted mother and his mate.

The female alpha merely chuckled, which embarrassed the male even more. "Aladar, didn't we already promise to each other to not keep any secrets?"

Her response came in the form of a dejected sigh.

"So there they were, staring at each other and finding out if they had any weaknesses. As soon as Dad gave the signal, the competition began," Plio continued on, who also gestured to her father next to her with a nod.

The elder lemur coated in mostly brown made a dry laugh. "Hehehe, you should have seen them stuff their faces. Aladar and Zini here were still children then. Those two stuffing their faces made them look like they got stung by bugs!"

The fuchsia _Iguanodon_ , who had been stifling her giggles, burst into a laughing fit. The normally composed ornithopod could no longer contain her amusement. Neither Aladar, Plio, nor Yar had ever seen the female laugh so hard before. If she did something like this before, then this sort of thing would happen once in a blue moon. The trio could not do anything except watch her let it out; her shut eyes eventually leaked small tears and they could see she was having hard time breathing with the laughter.

"And all that...because they were betting on who had the stronger stomach! HAHAHAHA!"

Eventually, she did calm down. Neera took in deep breaths, but a giggle or two would still escape.

"And you want to know what happened next?" Yar gave her a sly look. He glanced at his adopted grandson, who was doing his best to appear composed rather than show more of his discomfiture. "Aladar here won...but got the case of the tummy troubles for the rest of the night!"

The female alpha once again exploded in laughter. Except this time, her mate decided to join in to save himself most of the humiliation.

"Yeah I couldn't eat anything that night or half the day after that...but that happened to Zini too."

"Oh yes, he suffered too," the old patriarch agreed. "The both of you were confined to the Great Tree until you got better."

"And that was the last time I got into a food competition," Aladar offhandedly mentioned.

"Haha, at least our kids aren't like that," Neera mused. Her expression then changed into one of doubt. "At least...I hope not. I wouldn't want to see them have stomach troubles from something like that."

The lemur matriarch gestured a paw reassuringly. "I'm sure Suzanne and her friends could help them out. All we had to do was to make sure Aladar and Zini waited it out."

"Hm...speaking of Zini, where-"

"Shh!"

The sudden command of silence from her mate made her eye him with offense. Aladar was never one to be rude, making this moment all the more peculiar. She was about to rebuke her mate when she saw he bore an expression that was most grave. Aladar had his gaze towards the inner portions of the park, his eyes narrowing at any changes in the air.

The two lemurs and the alpha female became instantly worried. Whenever Aladar was like this, his guard would be up. Anything suspicious could mean possible danger. But danger in their own home? While that does seem out of place, the only threat in the valley would be another breakout, particularly coming from a carnivore that was out to get them.

"Aladar? What is it?" inquired Neera, who looked over in the hills as well.

"Do you hear that?" he asked her.

The both of them tried to listen, with the lemur clan leaders lending an ear. Unfortunately, with all the commotion going on, with the conversations and the playing from the children, neither of them were able to get a precise bead on what the disturbance was.

"Everyone, quiet down!" Aladar yelled at everyone around the tree.

The _Iguanodon_ children, along with the primates playing about in the Great Tree, ceased what they were doing. The ornithopod younglings rushed to their parents' sides, with the girls and Alden hiding behind their father and Talin taking the front. The lemur youngsters, at the same time, scrambled up the vines to join their families in the branches; huddling close to them for protection.

"Dad? What is it?" Talin looked expectantly at his father, only to receive no answer.

"Is everything okay?" Kaya, his jade-colored sister, called out from behind.

For the next few moments, the Iguanodon family and their extended family of primates listened in the air. For the moment, all they could hear were the faint commotions of the other herd members further into the valley, along with the gentle whooshes of the wind. The wind, while supple, sounded deep, airy, and synchronized. It was as if it was creating a faint roar.

Wait? A roar? Winds don't roar. It only blows unless there was a huge gust or a storm approaching. And the skies showed no dark grey clouds nor were they overcast. It was not deep either.

And if it was the wind, it would not be getting louder and make snarls.

Neera gasped. Her suspicions peaked at the thought of the worst possible outcome. "Aladar, you don't think-?"

Suddenly, the air of caution drastically turned into terror when two angry carnivores came running down the nearest hill slope. Both contenders were _Allosaurus_ , one sporting a grey hide with vertical black stripes along the ribs and the other having a yellow hide with spines along his back. The one with the grey hide they recognized as Al, due to the casts he bore. When they met him, he was tolerant of their presence and politely associated with them, despite their differing species. Seeing him fighting like this drastically changed how they viewed their new friend from trusting to heavily guarded.

The two of them snapped and clawed at each other, which caused them to roll down the hill midway. That did not stop the fight though.

The one with the yellow skin, which Neera and Aladar instantly recognized as Broken Jaw, sprinted up towards the Great Tree. The roars and spats he made came as a message of death to those smaller than him.

"Everyone! Get to the forests, now!" Aladar yelled to everyone around him.

The lemurs screamed and hopped down the tree. Their nimble movements as well as their agility safely got them down the tree. In no time at all, they were jumping hysterically towards the western woods in the valley. The child lemurs clung onto their parents' backs, crying out in fear to make the monstrous predator stop. Those who were not with their parents were forced to jump away and follow the adults.

The _Iguanodon_ younglings followed not too far behind them, thanks to the urging of their mother to flee from the area.

"Neera, stay with the kids and the others," the male alpha turned to his mate. His determined eyes met with her apprehensive gaze. "I'll stop them before they get to the herd."

"No! I'm not letting you do this alone!"

"I'll be fine!" he reassured with a crane of his neck over hers. "Go, the kids need you!"

Neera, despite wanting to stay with Aladar and help, relented with hesitance. She loved him and would do anything to keep him safe. She nearly lost him four times, the first time when her brother nearly killed him, the second time when he nearly fell off the cliff in the canyon, the third when they escaped the Fireball and he sustained those wounds, and finally his battle against Nero for the role of leadership. All of those times, her heart panged at the thought of him getting hurt. He was her world, the one thing besides her family that kept her going. Losing him would be like losing a part of herself.

This was not the first time he did this. The last time something like this happened, it was when the park was having its second breakout. He told her to take the elderly and the younglings in the herd away from the valley border to escape Diablo's wrath. While that made sense at the time, Neera wished she could just stay and help with the fighting. Now she had to leave him again, this time against two carnivores he had never faced before.

Yet, Aladar was right. Her children needed her. Without her, they would probably not survive should this get out of hand. Not only that, but the lemurs would need her protection as well.

Neera said nothing as she craned her neck over mate's. She wished him a silent plea of caution before turning to run after the fleeing lemurs and children. Aladar got the message and gave her a smile of reassurance as he watched them disappear passed a hill.

He turned his attention to the feuding _Allosaurus_ , and his expression changed to one of determination.

"Both of you! Stop! You're headed towards the herd!" Aladar warned.

Neither carnivore listened to him as they continued their scuffle. Their recent clash nearly crashed them against the tree, only to be saved by some quick footing. Aladar had to make a roundabout turn around them to avoid getting hit, and to get to a more offside position. As he watched the two of them stalk around each other, the _Iguanodon_ made another attempt to stop the fighting.

"Stop it! What do you think you're doing!?"

Finally, one of the predators gave an answer. He did not need to look to see that it was Al who replied.

"Aladar, stay out of this!" he gestured his defensive expression towards the snarling Broken Jaw. "The Yellow Skin here is deranged! His whole kind is! The only way to calm him down is to take him down!"

Said Yellow Skin cackled. "Ha! Speak for yourself! You calling me crazy? You're crazy for trying to steal Alyssa from me!"

The _fragilis_ rolled his eyes and hollered back in a more aggravated sense. "How many freaking times do I have to tell you? She doesn't want you at all!"

Aladar watched as the two carnivores took a step back. The crouching and stomping they were making, along with the war-hungry desire to hurt the other in their eyes pointed out another attack. He gritted his teeth and made his plea once more.

"Knock it off! Stop this now before someone gets hurt!"

Neither of them listened as they proceeded to clash again. Aladar stormed forward and broadsided Broken Jaw before he could get a clean shot at his rival. Al, thankfully, managed to hold back his attack when the _Iguanodon_ interfered. Though he was denied an opportunity to hurt the unhinged _Allosaurus_ , he was thankful that his newest herbivore companion came in to help.

Aladar had never fought an _Allosaurus_ before. The only Jurassic carnivores he fought were the _Ceratosaurus_ that tried to kill Alyssa several days ago during her rescue. They were much smaller than an _Allosaurus_ , but made up for their lack of strength with numbers. Broken Jaw, however, was an entirely different matter. The _Allosaurus lucasi_ may not be fully grown, but he was almost as tall as Aladar, and with strength to match too.

Broken Jaw clawed his way under the restraint Aladar was giving him. The _Iguanodon_ was mostly trying to hold him down, but he was having a hard time with the fighting he was getting. The _Allosaurus_ scratched away at his undersides; most of which were deep enough to create deep gashes. Aladar did his best to ignore the pain, but the tenth scratch on his chest made him recoil in agony. The _Iguanodon_ stumbled away, allowing the _lucasi_ to get back up Scott-free.

"Stay out of this, Spike-arm!" Broken Jaw warned at the strained herbivore, who glared at him with pained determination. "Or would you rather die alongside this Grey Skin friend here?"

"I don't know what happened between the two of you," Aladar replied as he straightened his posture. "But what you're doing isn't the answer! Your feud is only going to end up in somebody getting hurt!"

The _Allosaurus_ snarled, shooting daggers at the Grey Skin that stood not too far from him. "As long as it's this bastard here, I'm fine with that!"

"No!"

As soon as Broken Jaw was about to get another attack in, a huge tail swept him away. The predator landed on his side soon after colliding with the trunk of the tree. Loose leaves fell from above.

Those that witnessed the attack saw that it had come from a massive _Supersaurus_ with a red hide…and a stump of a tail.

"Cool it BJ!" yelled the angered Woodstock. "Didn't you hear him!? Your problems are only going to turn into somebody else's!"

Said _Allosaurus_ slowly got back up, but not before eyeing at the sauropod coldly. His breathing was labored, but his rising anger was ever apparent. "So...you're siding with him AND the Grey Skin, Woodstock? And here I thought we were going to get along..."

"Nobody's siding with anybody, BJ," she said, taking a step forward. "Look, we're all buddies here. So why don't we uphold that and just quit with all this violence?"

Broken Jaw laughed darkly. "Nah, I think I'll pass," his gaze fell onto the Allosaurus fragilis that appeared guarded, awaiting another attack from him. "'Aleky' here's been a pain in my ass since he showed his face in my abode. He made fun of me, claims to be better than me, AND took my mate! I've lost so many things growing up. I'm NOT going to lose my dignity or my mate!"

The Grey Skin shook his head and sighed in exasperation. "You really are dense... Alyssa made it clear that she didn't want to be with you. I am only defending her decision."

"Lies!"

The two of them ran for each other for another collision. Their arms and claws were raised, ready to tear each other apart. Unfortunately, that attack was interrupted when the by-standing _Iguanodon_ and _Supersaurus_ stepped in between the two. Aladar cut himself in front of Broken Jaw, using his whole body as a barrier. The predator skidded to a stop in surprise, but found the herbivore roaring defiantly at him. Woodstock had done the same, though she was having an easier time blocking off the determined Al thanks to her immense size.

Broken Jaw, though not bearing any grudge toward the alpha, was not about to let some interloper interfere with his battle. He skirted his way around Aladar, but found that the blue-green leader was not willing to let him pass.

"Out of the way, blue-boy!" he hissed angrily. "Or do you really want to die?"

"Broken Jaw, it doesn't have to be this way!" Aladar tried to reason. "Don't do something that you'll regret later!"

"Ha! Regret!? I regret nothing in my life!"

The _Iguanodon_ looked at him bravely, and at the same time, showed a hint of sympathy. "I know you're better than this. Hazel told me what happened to you a few days ago. You lost your family, your dignity, and any sense of normalcy. But here, you have all of those. Don't throw all that away just for something over lost love."

"No! You don't know anything about me! Now get out of my way!"

Broken Jaw stormed up to the ornithopod. Like before, Aladar intercepted him by using his strength to knock him to the ground. The _Allosaurus_ landed with a grunt; his vision became spotted and hazy for a moment from the fall. The _Iguanodon_ was about to hold him down when the golden predator managed to claw away at his legs.

Aladar screamed in anguish at the stinging on his legs. The distraction of the agony caused him to fall on his side. He lay prone as he tried to block out the screaming of his new wounds.

The interloper now out of the way, Broken Jaw recovered and made a beeline for his primary target. Woodstock had been busy with keeping Al away from the furious Yellow Skin. While she succeeded in keeping him at bay, she failed at keeping Broken Jaw away as her attention was not on him. The _lucasi_ ducked under her amputated tail with a swerve before jumping onto the unsuspecting Al. Their brawl had resumed without much interference.

"Hey! Quit it! The both of you!" Woodstock commanded.

Neither hunter paid attention to the heed of the sauropod as they took their fight away from the tree. The two predators exchanged claw strikes and attempts to bite each other on the necks; all attempts had been blocked due to fast movements or interceptions. There were even instances where they would either jump on each other or swipe their tails.

In one instance, Broken Jaw tried to bite onto his rival's neck, but only bit down on Al's casted arm thanks to a quick block he made. The _lucasi_ reeled back in surprise, which was followed by pain as his gums and teeth suffered from a momentary ache. The cast that Al wore now had small teeth imprints, but the arm was more or less unharmed.

The Grey Skin used this moment to his advantage by pushing him away forcefully. He was about to go for a neck bite when the distracted Yellow Skin anticipated his movements in time. One quick dodge and Al only bit on air. This was then followed by quick scratches to the face, and then a tail swipe that knocked the Grey Skin down.

The _fragilis'_ prone form lay on the ground, knocked out by the slap he got across his face.

Broken Jaw grinned at the defeated Al. His torment would finally end. "Now to finish you off!"

As soon as he was about to go in for the final blow, a large tail had swept him away. A quick glance at the limb and he saw that it belonged to a large sauropod. He was about to retort at Woodstock, only the tail did not belong to the hippie herbivore…and it was whole. The observation continued on until he saw it belonged to a giant _Diplodocus_ with a couple of spines missing on his back.

"Charlie, my man!" Woodstock cheered at the approaching herbivorous southerner.

"Sorry I'm late," he told the group. He even took notice of a limping Aladar who was standing near his giant associate. "I was having a tough time getting here with the mess back in that part of the valley."

Neither of them exchanged any more words as they quickly took their places between the now-unconscious Al and the battle-fatigued Broken Jaw. Unfortunately, neither Aladar nor Charles was fast enough to catch the Yellow Skin that quickly maneuvered around them by ducking under the giant's girth. Their problem was solved when Woodstock cut him off by pushing him down with one foot.

"Ah ah ah! Sorry BJ. I can't let you do that."

"Get off of me, you big lug!" he growled as he squirmed under her weight. The pressure of the foot on his shoulder increased, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"You know BJ," she said while hiding most of her anger. "I thought you turned over a new leaf when you decided to follow us here. Just the fact that you decided to attack someone else here that didn't do shit to you is disappointing."

"That Grey Skin bastard was screwing with my life! Didn't you hear what I said!?"

Woodstock rolled her eyes. "Of course I heard! I not deaf, dude. Oy...you're even more stubborn than a stick in the mud."

"Yeah you keep talking you two-faced, long-necked, dim-witted tree lover!" Broken Jaw sneered through his mangled maw. "Cause pretty soon, I'm going to bite your tongue out!"

The former _Supersaurus_ leader scoffed in disgust. "Eesh! Harsh words there, BJ. There's gotta be a way to shut that dirty mouth."

A shriek sounded off from above. Craning her neck up, she saw a giant shape soar over her giant form. A squint of her eyes and she saw the incoming flyer sport a flat crest on the head along with a small mass on the back. A quick thought along with the newcomer making a quick turn revealed the identities of Flia and Hazel.

"Radical!" she whooped with relief. "Perfect timing!"

They watched as the _Pteranodon_ landed gracefully several feet from the downed _Allosaurus_ as well as the guarding herbivores. Hazel, who had been hanging on tightly onto Flia, quickly dismounted. The tranquilizer gun that was slung on her shoulder rocked as she moved. The woman turned to her companion and gave her a quick wave.

"Thanks Flia!" she expressed her gratitude.

The female sky scout accepted by giving her a nod. "I trust you can handle things here?"

Hazel glanced back, noting the aftermath of the fight they arrived to. Seeing the struggling Broken Jaw under Woodstock's foot as well as the knocked-out Al on the other side instigated the anger she kept at bay. She turned back, schooling her features so as to not explode.

"Yeah, I can."

"Good. I think I saw the lemurs as well as Neera and her children flee into the forest nearby. I'll go and check on them."

With that said, the _Pteranodon_ took off to the skies. She angled her body to the side, making a sharp turn towards the forest nearby.

Hazel turned her gaze over to the "warzone". She rushed over to her friends as she clutched onto the strap of her gun. The young recruit was happy to see that everything here was taken care of before her arrival.

"Yo! Future Lady! Glad to see you!" Woodstock greeted while holding her grip on her captive.

"Sorry we're late," she told them, slowing down so she could stand before them by a few feet. "Looks like we missed out on one heck of a party."

The _Supersaurus_ reacted fondly to the humorous quip. Her attention switched from the human and then to Broken Jaw as she spoke. "Nah, you didn't miss out on much. Well, maybe except the part where BJ and the new guy over there were trying to kill each other."

"Al!?" Hazel exclaimed, momentarily forgetting about the condition of the Grey Skin. "Is he okay!?"

"Urgh…he's fine," Aladar grunted as he limped towards her. He gestured his head towards the downed _Allosaurus_ , who was being scrutinized by Charles as if it were a zombie that was about to rise. "But he's going to need some healing treatment."

It was then that Hazel noticed the numerous scratches that Aladar had on his body, particularly on his legs and underside. The wounds he sustained from battles passed dotted his back like landmarks on a map. The most obvious features were the burn marks he got from the Fireball when he and his herd was rescued several weeks ago. The wounds he got from Alyssa's rescue were mostly healed, but shown as dark blue patches. Now the new injuries he sustained from minutes ago dotted his undersides. And who knows when and how long those would heal… His beige anterior end was nearly coated in scarlet red.

Hazel gasped, horrified by the state of one of her best friends. "Oh my God! Aladar, you're hurt!"

"Don't worry about it… I'm fine. I'll live," he strained from the pain with a smile. He then turned his gaze from Broken Jaw and then to Al. "Now, what are we going to do about these guys?"

The woman's expression turned from worry for Aladar's state to ire when she looked over at Broken Jaw. A quick look over at Al kicked her negativity for the Yellow Skin up again. "Good question…"

Hazel marched up to the downed _Allosaurus_. She grabbed for her tranquilizer gun and aimed it at the predator. "Broken Jaw, I may have just arrived here," she started in a calm manner before turning irritated. "But judging from the damage done in the park along with the reports of a few employees on the way here, I'm betting you're the cause of it. Care to explain what happened?"

Broken Jaw spat on the ground in resentment, as if he were some kind of outlaw who did not care. "You got no right to ask that, kid. This ain't your business!"

The Asian sighed and shook her head. "I beg to differ. I care about everyone in the park. If any of them gets hurt, then it is my business. And believe me, I'm fucking pissed off right now. You don't want to mess with me when I'm mad. Now, I'm going to ask again."

She brought her gun closer, close enough so the nozzle was nearly touching below his eye. "What happened, Broken Jaw?"

"That Grey Skin bastard stole Alyssa from me!" Broken Jaw protested. "She and I were supposed to together! As soon as he showed up, everything went downhill! He persuaded her to turn against me! I've already lost so many things in my life; a sense of normalcy, a family, a home, and now, a chance to have a mate! And I'm not going to let some mate-stealing, foul, evil dunghole torture me for the rest of my days!"

"That's enough!" cried a female voice.

Those who heard it looked towards the direction of the interior of the park. Their eyes widened as they took upon the approach of Alyssa. The herbivores, as well as Hazel, tensed up warily in case she came to attack them. Their fears were eased when they saw her gasp and run to the side of the unconscious Al.

The grey huntress nudged the wounded male on his neck. Not once, but twice she did so. A stir came from his body, followed by a groan. Alyssa made a small smile, relieved that he was alright.

"Alyssa, get away from him! He's no good to you. You know there is only one solution to this," Broken Jaw pleaded in earnest, begging for her to return to his side.

The _fragilis_ female snapped at him, her eyes radiating disappointment and remorse. "I beg to differ. Broken Jaw, I'm sorry for what's happened to you. Truly, I am," she sincerely apologized. "But, you have to accept that us being together is not going to happen. I don't have any feelings for you, I never have."

Alyssa glanced at Al. Her sympathies for his suffering today panged in her insides like insects at a feast. "He never persuaded me. This is my decision, and you don't have a say in it."

"But, you're my-"

"No, I never was," she quickly answered, her eyes filling with determination. "I'm sorry, Broken Jaw. Even though we do not think the same thing, I hope we can still be friends. If not today, then perhaps in the future."

"No! No, I won't accept it!" the mangled predator struggled under the weight of the large sauropod. His attempt was futile as his captor was too heavy.

"If anyone here has made a mistake, it's you," the grey predator replied in a soft, yet harsh manner. Doing so pained the heart of the Yellow Skin even more. "I saw the destruction on the way here. Our new friends were running about, screaming. Some of the humans got hurt in the damage; the SAME humans that took us in out of the goodness of their hearts!"

"Oh so you're blaming me for all of this? What about that interloper you're standing next to? He contributed!"

Alyssa glared at him. A threatening hiss escaped her throat, as if she were a volcano letting out steam. "That may be, but he was defending my decision. If anyone here is at fault, it's you. You were the one who started this mess to begin with."

Broken Jaw looked away from his former love at that moment. Never once before had someone accepted him for whom he was. Alyssa was the only one that did not turn him away for his looks, nor did she attack him on sight. For once, they shared their feelings, but apparently he took it the wrong way. And now, someone else had captured her heart.

His family had been taken from him. His home was no longer his home. And he had lost his sense of normalcy long ago. Now, the only girl he had grown to respect in a short amount of time was leaving him for another.

"No...I didn't cause it," he snarled with blinding fury, especially towards the sleeping Al. "He did. And I won't be denied what I want!"

It was then that Broken Jaw mustered whatever strength he had left. Woodstock, who had been apparently distracted by Alyssa's interference, did not even pay attention that her pressure on her captive was less than before. The _Allosaurus_ used that to his advantage and delivered a sharp bite on her foot.

The _Supersaurus_ shrieked at the sudden sting on her leg. Sharp pinpricks sent vicious jolts of agony. Though she may be large, she was not immune to pain. Woodstock recoiled back at the ambush, her leg slightly lifted to ease it from pressure.

Broken Jaw scrambled up thanks to his opportunity. He charged up to the fallen _Allosaurus fragilis_ , ready to take his life.

"Broken Jaw, stop!" Alyssa yelled as she went to block his path.

Unfortunately, the yellow warrior merely shoved her aside, making her lose her balance. Broken Jaw roared vehemently towards his target.

Aladar and Charles, sensing his true intentions, immediately went to block his path. The combined garrison of Diplodocus and Iguanodon blocked most of the _Allosaurus'_ way. But this wall was not foolproof. Aladar's wounds slowed him down, and Charles' size had clear gaps for any creature smaller than him to fit through.

Broken Jaw, driven by rage and vengeance, proceeded to duck under the great sauropod's neck. _Diplodocuses_ were naturally vertically inclined, but even they could not move fast enough. He prepared himself to duck under the huge girth of the Jurassic giant.

But he miscalculated on the giant's speed. Charles quickly pushed him away with a swipe of his neck, knocking him back. The predator's breath had been nearly taken out due to how strong the attack was. Had the spines been any lower, they would have pierced his heart.

The carnivore then decided for a more direct approach to this wall. He sped forward and jumped high, landing on the side of the grey giant's neck. Charles bellowed wildly and shook rigorously. His opponent held on tightly due to his claws. Each shake only dug the claws deeper. Dark red streaks started to form from where the claws scraped from the surface. Blood oozed from the wounds; the metallic substance wafting up for any creature with a keen sense of smell to sense.

"Charles!" Aladar screamed. He rushed up to help his friend with getting the predator off.

 _ ***FWIP***_

"Gah!" he screamed as something sharp pierced the skin near his neck.

The _Iguanodon_ backed away when he saw what had happened. Broken Jaw found himself falling off of the longneck, only for his body to meet the ground. Dizziness struck the _Allosaurus_ like a bolt of lightning. The dirt of the hill kicked up when he fell on his side like an unnatural cloud.

The cause of his fall? A small needle with pink feathers on the base of his neck.

The dinosaurs looked over at where the dart came from. Mild surprise filled their minds when they saw Hazel holding the weapon in her arms, which was lowered after she had aimed it at the mad carnivore.

"I said this before and I'll say it again," Hazel slung the gun over her shoulder and stepped up to the panting predator. "When a girl says no, she means it."

Her eyes narrowed and a commanding voice escaped her throat. The likes of which made the _Allosaurus_ cringe slightly. "You are in a HEAP of trouble!"

"Urgh...so, you're betraying me?" Broken Jaw growled. His movements became slower as his body started to feel numb. "You showed me kindness before and now you're turning your back on me?"

"No," said Hazel. "I'm only doing what's right. That dart fired is going to put you to sleep...literally. It won't kill you, but you'll be out like a light in a few moments."

The warrior struggled to get back up to right himself, only for him to fall back on his side. "And here I thought I could trust you."

The woman sighed. Apparently, it would take more than a few words to convince him of his wrongs. This was nothing new for Hazel, however. This instance was like a child throwing a tantrum, and only a parent or a parent-figure would be the one to tell them off. Broken Jaw only had Caius and Flit to teach him. They were good at raising him, judging from what she could infer from her past run-ins with them. But not everyone can learn everything from the same individuals.

"I guess I'm going to have to drill it into your brain myself. Alyssa doesn't want to be your mate. Al didn't steal her. She chose him. There were no strings pulled. Alyssa likes you, but not in the way you thought. I won't lie when I say I don't know what your childhood was like, nor what you learned, but I do know that life hasn't been too kind to you. Alyssa made her decision, and you have to accept it."

Broken Jaw snapped his jaws at her; his personal attempt to silence her lecturing. He failed when he saw the human standing unscathed before him. The _Allosaurus_ snapped at nothing. His vision was too blurry for him to tell much of his surroundings. Moments later, he found himself back on the ground. His breathing became slower and slower by the minute.

"Sometimes things are just out of our control," she continued with a kind voice. "We can't have everything we want. Life sucks, I know. But the only way we can overcome our troubles is to face them head-on...and to accept the ones that cannot be helped. You're strong, and we admire that. But claiming everything around you as yours isn't the way to go."

The _lucasi_ shut his eyes, hiding the water that was apparently building up in them. But his sign of weakness did not mean much as his consciousness was fading away. He had been denied many things in his life, and there were many things that he wished he had. How could someone so small make such harsh words like that? He felt like a failure; a toy that life would play with brutally to show how pathetic he was. Being reminded again was like the reopening of an old wound.

As his vision faded into black, the last thing he saw was the sympathetic expression of Hazel…and the apologetic gaze of a sad Alyssa. His hearing was the last to go. The very last thing he heard before he fell into sleep's uncalled invitation was the sound of blaring honks and the skidding of wheels.

 _ **Tada! Chapter 18 is done done and done! Phew…man, that took a while. So, a couple of things before we leave you guys.**_

 _ **With the holidays just around the corner, we've decided to start posting the Christmas special in time for Christmas. Don't worry, it won't spoil anything for the end of this story. And as a note, the Christmas special is canon (it happens sometime after Prehistoric Revolution).**_

 _ **Just to clarify on a previous chapter, this is not the same Big Al that got that infectious foot injury. We made that clear when the story mentioned Hazel and Flia being transported several miles from where the fossil was found. So, in other words, this Big Al isn't the same Big Al from the Ballad of Big Al. This won't cause a time paradox or anything.**_

 _ **We know what you guys are thinking about Broken Jaw. He's only acting like a prick because he was denied a lot of things in the course of his life. Losing a girl he liked to another guy was enough to send him on a rampage. He also had no experience being with the other sex, so he had no idea how to act.**_

 _ **Prehistoric Revolution is nearly finished. There's only a chapter or two left. In fact, the next chapter is undergoing the development process right now.**_

 _ **Thanks guys. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one**_ _ **.**_


	19. Back to Normal?

_**Darksage: Alright everyone. This is it! The final chapter in Prehistoric Revolution!**_

 _ **Marc: The penultimate final chapter you mean.**_

 _ **Darksage: Shhhh! Don't spoil it!**_

 _ **Marc: Too late.**_

 _ **Darksage: Ugh. Well what he means is this is the last chapter of this story, but there is still one more chapter after this (not counting the full soundtrack list). It's the sneak peek into the next story.**_

 _ **Marc: Now a bit of a clarification. I'm sure you guys noticed the Christmas special we posted last month. As mentioned before, that took place right after the events of Prehistoric Revolution. So what's happening here is what leads up to those events.**_

 _ **Darksage: And the upcoming one.**_

 _ **Marc: Yes that too.**_

 _ **Darksage: Well, without further ado, let's get this final chapter going!**_

 _ **Soundtrack: Rebirth by BrunuhVille**_

The next day…

"Let's get this truck moving. The wood's not getting there by itself."

Hazel turned the page in her book, ignoring the construction preparations nearby. The start of the truck motor, the clamor of the employees as they hurried away, and the revving of the fading vehicle did nothing to falter her concentration. This was at least the tenth time something like this occurred near her today that she ignored it after the third.

After the brawl incident between Al and Broken Jaw yesterday, work around the park had been busier than ever. It was no surprise to her that the employees would spend much of their time with repairing the broken enclosures as well as get the foundations ready for the buildings that were demolished. After all, she did help a little that morning with feeding the Residents when some of the employees could not. Hazel was not required to do everything, and for good reason too. She had another job to do.

But first, there was something she needed to take care of; something that started to bug her since last night. Hazel kicked herself for not realizing this sooner.

The Big Al she was familiar with before she came to Prehistoric Park was a fossil that made a huge contribution to the paleontology community. It was that full-body find that helped scientists make huge strides in building up the Jurassic period, including how carnivores worked and how they were like. That Big Al died of an infection on one of the toes after one of them broke; most likely from tripping, hitting something hard, or getting into a fight.

While the Big Al that now lived in Prehistoric Park got a similar foot injury from getting into a fight against an _Allosaurus lucasi_ , and was saved before the infection could set in, Hazel now worried about what consequences would arise after they saved him. If this was the same Big Al that scientists studied and the one she was familiar with in the books, then that would have a serious effect in the space-time continuum. A paradox was something nobody wanted to deal with, even though Prehistoric Park never encountered one before. Nigel did say he transported her and Flia miles away from where the Big Al fossil was found, but still her worries arose. Maybe the Al they rescued was not the same one or maybe not. Hazel had to make sure.

Right now, she was looking over one of the many dinosaur encyclopedias she obtained from her room. This book being one of the most descriptive, as it contained references from fossil discoveries, detailed pictures, as well as the locations of where they were found/where they now resided, Hazel hoped that the best outcome would appear to her in one of the pages. The pages she was currently on featured the picture of an _Allosaurus_ with a tan hide, dark brown eye crests, as well as large terracotta-colored patches along its back. This one was roaring towards the left and was standing in a desert with sparse cycads. Seeing this picture reminded her of her previous visits to the Jurassic period. On the opposite page was a detailed description about the creature, which included facts about its biology, known locations, length, weight, and all else. She was also double-checking the facts and other discoveries regarding the species, hoping that they did not change at all after Al was rescued.

At least Al was alright. After his fight against Broken Jaw the day before, he had been under intensive care for several hours. The last time she checked up on him was that morning. A team of vets surrounded him as they changed his bandages. Alyssa, who was worried over his condition, opted to stay by him until he woke up. Of course she received refusals from people like Suzanne and Nigel, saying that she would only be in the way. Hazel had to step in and convince them to let her stay. She obviously cared for Al and would feel torn up inside if she were not by him. The female predator's health would probably deteriorate if she were not with him.

So they allowed Alyssa to stay, much to the reluctance of the vet staff. Thankfully, she stayed out of the vet team's way while they worked on Al.

That was one worry out of the way. Now checking on the space-time continuum was another.

Her concentration faltered when she heard the distinct sound of flapping wings above her. One glance in front of her and she saw her friend Flia land before her; her wings outstretched to their greatest length before folding beside her body as she walked up on all fours.

"Hazel there you are," said the _Pteranodon_.

"Hey Flia, how's it going?" Hazel replied, still holding onto the pages in her hands.

The flyer stopped a mere two feet away, her eyes focused on the woman who was sitting on one of the wooden benches around the cafe. "Everything is fine, actually. The damage done from the mess caused by Broken Jaw and Al is slowly being repaired, though that is probably because it all happened yesterday."

Flia then took a curious glance at the large book her ward carried in her hands. "What are you doing?"

"Checking for paradoxes," the human returned her search on the pages.

The sky scout's eyes furrowed. The new word offered no sense of familiarity in her known vocabulary. All she could give her was a blank expression. "Paradoxes? And those are…"

Hazel wanted to kick herself again for being so vague, especially since this was towards someone who had no knowledge of most things in the 21st century. "It's a time travel thing," she started to explain, her attention now on the curious _Pteranodon_. "It's a type of problem that pops up when a time traveler interferes with the time space continuum. And since the Big Al skeleton that humanity has dug up has given us so much info on the _Allosaurus_ species, I'm making sure that our travel to the past hasn't interfered with our history."

Although she gave the best description she could muster, Flia nearly stumbled forward at the dizziness that set in from that explanation. She had to hold her head up with one winged finger just to ease the minor headache came. It went away after a few seconds, but the odd language and syntax that was said was still confounding. Flia merely shook her head, righting herself.

The only thing she did manage to understand was that Hazel was trying to make sure that their rescue of Al did not mess anything up, at least, that was what she gathered when she mentioned a Big Al skeleton.

"But you DO remember this 'Big Al' discovery and the facts of the _Allosaurus_ species," said Flia. "So does that mean that everything is fine? Besides, how would YOU know if we did make a mistake and interfered with Time?"

The woman was about to retort when her friend's logic became a realization. If they had rescued THE Big Al, then Hazel would not have remembered that fossil. She would not be doing research to check for time paradoxes. People in the park would have a slight lack of intelligence regarding an Allosaurus. And most of all, the pictures of the Big Al fossil, if she had looked them up on the internet, would have all gone.

But none of that happened.

"Good point Flia," Hazel slammed her book shut. She then dismounted from the bench she was sitting on and grabbed her travel bag that sat near one of the legs. One quick placement into the pocket and a zip later and she was all ready to go. "I suppose if something did go wrong, we would know about it by now."

The Asian brought out her smartphone from her pocket and checked the time with a press of the home button. The screen then lit up and showed that it was 1:32 PM. Hazel quietly sighed and stored her phone away. One task was finished, but now she had another to do.

Of all the days to do the new employee orientation, did it have to be the day after Al and Broken Jaw tore up half the place? Employees were around the park trying to fix up the damage the two carnivores created. Nigel was busy with Bob and Marcus on leading the repairs. Nigel would have been the perfect person to introduce the new recruits, but that job had to fall on Hazel per her mentor's orders. The man was busy after all and he thought she was perfect for the job.

It did offer a nice change of pace for the day. From what she was told, quite a few of the newcomers were about her age. And from her discussion with Nigel yesterday on trying to get to know the employees and by starting off with people around her age, this was an open opportunity. While she would have preferred spending her free time in the Herd Grounds, she did not want to upset Nigel.

"Well, it's almost that time," she said with a reluctant smile. "I'd better head over to the Employee Center. I wouldn't want to miss seeing all of those new recruits coming in. Nigel would kill me if I missed out."

As she was about to walk passed her friend, Hazel stopped when she heard the scout call out to her.

"Need a lift?"

Hazel could not say no to that. The construction and employees milling about would delay her arrival. And her appointment was at 1:50 PM.

The woman went over to Flia and boarded onto her saddle-less back. Gripping her arms around her neck tightly, the two of them ascended into the sky, heading south towards their destination.

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Rascal poked his slim head through the cluster of palms. His form was hidden beneath a shroud of shadows. If anyone could sense him anywhere else, they would need to have some good eyesight to look through the camouflage of leaves or a keen sense of smell to pick up the familiar scent of sun and meat.

For the past 24 hours, the _Troodon_ had been avoiding detection from everything around him; from the sauropods that now lived in the newly named Sauropod Treetops, the occasional herd member that would wander nearby, any free-roaming Resident like Espantos, to the humans that milled about. The last time he ran about freely was ages ago, and he did not want to risk getting caught again lest he loses his freedom. He had been careful with watching the treetops as well as the skies. Rascal could easily get spotted by one of the _Microraptors_ or by that large crested _Pteranodon_ that liked to fly around.

Staying undetected was easy. His quick movements and speed along with how dense the vegetation was gave him good places to hide from prying eyes. That was…until a large number of thirty or so keepers came in recently. The humans seemed to have been traveling in groups and were searching all around them. Any sound of movement and they were already moving towards the source.

Rascal did not need a larger brain to know that they were there to look for him. Those stun guns they held could also be for him. But he was not going to let them catch him that easily.

The small carnivore looked down and noticed a small pile of rocks next to him. Smirking devilishly, he angled his body and flicked his tail on one of the small rocks at the top. The pebble sailed through the air and hit the trunk of one of the trees twenty feet away with a _thunk_.

"What was that?" one of the keepers, a man with blonde hair in a bowcut style, said when he quickly turned. The others followed suit.

"I don't know. It came from there," said his associate, another man with a long brown ponytail.

"What the heck was going though Bob's mind when he asked us to do this?" groaned the third as he followed his group to the direction where the rock landed. "'This guy shouldn't be hard to find. Just find a yellow bad-mouthed carnivore running around.' 'A couple keepers saw him head to this part of the park. Think of it as a scavenger hunt.' 'It will be fun.' Tch, you call this fun? I'd rather be feeding Irwin right now."

When the trio of humans disappeared into that part of the woods, and were far enough away, the Rascal broke down laughing.

"Those stupid humans! To think they fell for that! HAHAHAHA! How dumb could they get?" cackled the small meat eater.

"What the heck did these guys descend from?" he told himself as he walked the other way through the shadow of the trees. "They're too ugly to have evolved from my family. Maybe they came from my cousin Kami. Dumb-headed crapper must have hit his head so hard that his muzzle flattened. Then again, the guy's dead."

His pondering continued on as he trekked through the fern and tree covered area. When a Diplodocus came through, Rascal had to go back into the shadows to avoid detection. Only did it go passed him did he continue on, along with thinking about where the humans came from.

"Maybe they came from those rats I used to eat," he wondered. Rascal shook his head at the possibility. "Nah…too furry. Maybe one of those monkeys?"

The carnivore cackled when he thought about the humans descending from the lemurs in the park. The idea that they came from something like that piss-colored monkey he met some time ago was an absolute longshot. "No frigging way! They're too hairless to have come from that! And where are their tails? If those little suckers tried to turn into one of these humans, they would have been taller or would have started making their own groups. Yeah the day when that would happen would be when these humans would have disappeared."

 _Crick_.

 _Cock._

 _Tch-Tch._

Rascal stopped in his tracks at the sudden sound. Small, sharp fangs appeared within his mouth when he found a group of ten keepers pointing stun guns and tranquilizer guns at him. His confidence fell like a stone when he saw he had been caught. One moment of distraction and he let himself get detected. It was a stupidity that he wished he corrected sooner.

He took a step back, only to realize that they moved a step forward. Then, the man at the front raised a large gun with a square muzzle. Rascal had not been paying any attention. If he had, then he would have seen that it was Marcus, the head engineer.

"Well, well, well. All of these guys just for little old me?" the _Troodon_ snarked casually despite the situation he was in. "I'm touched."

"True Rascal," Marcus gripped his gun tighter. "We only need ONE keeper to round you up. All these guys are volunteers and just REALLY hate you."

"Don't suppose you can call off your lackies?"

"Hm…Let me think on that-."

 _BANG!_

Rascal screeched in surprise when a large net entangled him. The weight of the rope weaves sent him crashing to the ground.

"No," said the engineer with a satisfied smile.

The next thing the shocked _Troodon_ knew, the rest of the humans surrounded him. Each man, or the few women that were there, held the squirming mafia predator down. Rascal roared and shrieked as he tried to fight his way out, but none of his attempts worked. The ropes on him prevented the troublemaker from escaping, or even making a bite on their hands that were on him. It was not long before two of the keepers were dragging him away by the net; his body and the ropes left impacting streaks on the dirt.

"Ow hey!" Rascal yelped painfully when his poor head hit a small rock after they went around it. "Come on guys! Keeper brutality! Keeper brutality!"

"Shut up!" he heard Marcus yell from afar.

So much for planning to scare the sauropods today. The only thing that awaited him now was a miserable trip back to his newly fixed enclosure…and possibly a small dinner portion for the night. And if he had been paying any attention, he would have seen Sauropod Treetop's newest Resident, who was going through a little "psychiatry" session.

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Broken Jaw really wanted to rip his head off. Well, if he did, then he would have killed himself. To him, anything was better than listening through this stupid talk. Or if there was a rock, he would be banging his head against it.

Due to his rampage the previous day, along with how he treated Al and Alyssa, Hazel's mentor, Nigel had to enact an appropriate punishment for him. Isolating the _Allosaurus_ in a Holding Pen was an option, but that would prove detrimental in him learning his lesson. If anything, he would become so depressed that he would shut himself off from everyone else. Or he would not learn anything at all. Or he may just starve himself.

Nigel thought about placing him with Espantos, whom he recently learned was a creature called a Terror Bird. Broken Jaw met him once when he was going around delivering the news. To the humor of the Being on High, he stayed by his enclosure for at least an HOUR telling him all about himself. And the questions! Those incessant questions he kept asking him! Honestly, that Espantos was like an overactive youngling high on red "shrooms", except not as giggly. Well, Broken Jaw never tried those before but he did overhear from an herbivore in the past that no one should try it, lest they "go on a trip they may never fully recover from". He didn't mind the questions related to his name, where he came from, or when he arrived. However, the questions related to how he got his fractured jaw, what his favorite food was, what his hobbies were, whether he liked to roll in mud or not, and especially if he wanted to hang out with him were just…annoying! Espantos just would not shut up!

Broken Jaw immediately said no to that. The other option that Nigel mentioned was having him help the keepers with helping to repair the damage he had caused. According to the man, he had to haul the heavy wood, help push the gates up for them to be propped, put the debris away so they could be "managed properly", and personally apologize to the poor Residents that were involved in the breakout. While the _Allosaurus_ had nothing against the other Residents, he did not want to go through with that for one reason. He would have to face Alyssa, and probably Al, again.

Alyssa. He felt the sting in his heart once more at the thought of her name. His actions yesterday did more than ruin part of the valley; they pushed her away. She never had any feelings for him. She already made that clear before he was knocked out. Broken Jaw did not want to see her again, not after what he did. Maybe, if he felt better in the future and he did not feel as guilty, he could see her again.

So he declined that. The third option was to help someone named Nero with "dung control". Broken Jaw had no idea who this Nero was, but he knew that "dung control" meant he had to help with "picking up" the waste after the Residents relieved themselves. Seriously, why do the humans do this? Waste is waste. It just stays there until it's washed away. Why clean it up immediately after it was placed? He had no problem with it before when he was in the Watering Hole. Well, except when some stupid creature crapped near where he slept or had his food. That one he had no problem saying no to.

The final option was one that was more mundane than the others…but he did not know it would be torturous. In fact, it was something that Caius and Flit agreed to; they were just as disappointed as Hazel was about him flying off the handle. The night before, right after he woke up in Sauropod Treetops, he received an earful of yells and lecturing from them for his ill behavior. Flit constantly pecked at his head to show how hardheaded he was. Caius was calmer but kept berating him for his actions. The two of them agreed with Hazel when he would be sentenced to three months of Anger Management Lessons with two humans named Suzanne and Sarah. Apparently, Caius and Flit, while fulfilling the roles of his guardians for his childhood, had failed to teach him how to control his emotions when under stress. It would make sense, seeing as Broken Jaw never had experience with dealing with the opposite sex before, much less how to cope with rejection.

The option was better than the other two. And when Woodstock, Yin, and Charles stepped in, that made things better for the humans and his guardians, and worse for him. Placing him back in the Allosaur Dunes would just create more tension with the _Allosaurus fragilis_ there. And isolating him would not do much good. So the giant herbivores decided to take him in and allow him to stay at Sauropod Treetops. Not surprisingly, the humans were against that, seeing as the others in that area would freak out if they saw a giant meat eater like him. The _Supersaurus_ , _Borealosaurus_ , and Diplodocus told them they already brought the idea up with the others and persuaded them this would be beneficial for the poor _Allosaurus_. He would have a place to stay that was not away from everyone else while in return, he would receive much more advice on life lessons better than if he were on his own. He will still be catered to, meaning that they would not have to worry about him hunting either of them down. And he would not misbehave at all since there were so many giants around him; giants that could trample him to death or split him in have with a flick of their tails if he did.

It was an uneasy proposition for them, but the sauropods agreed to it. Nigel was a bit reluctant, but he went along with it as well. The added condition they put in was that he would be monitored 24/7 by both keepers and those in Sauropod Treetops, at least until they know he could be trusted.

In all honesty, Broken Jaw was happy he still had a place to stay. He just hated the antics of the hippie sauropods and their noble neighbors AND the lessons he was undertaking. Not to mention his whole body still stung from the wounds he got yesterday. He was nearly wrapped in those white leave things from head to toe and they slightly hindered his movement. When he had woken up from his "coma" he found those wrappings all around him. Nigel told him that they were temporary and will be removed when his wounds healed. They were a bit itchy, and according to the human, the ointments put on him and the "bandages" were much more effective than the leaves Caius and Flit used to treat his passed injuries.

So here was Broken Jaw, in his first Anger Management Lesson in the middle of a sauropod-infested forest…and he hated every minute of it.

"So let's go over the main points again," said Sarah after she paced in front of him. "What do you do if something makes you angry?"

"Stop, breathe, count to ten, relax," he replied in a bored manner.

"That's right. Or…" she told him, expecting him to complete the sentence.

Broken Jaw groaned unenthusiastically. "Or I could just ignore them and walk away or just tell someone else about it."

"That's right. And what did we talk about in regards to your…problem yesterday?"

The _Allosaurus_ rolled his eyes at the phrase that was drilled into his mind earlier in the day. "There are more fish in the sea or something like that."

"Very good!" the assistant veterinarian clapped.

"Ugh, for Almighty's sake, why are we doing this? This is pointless!" he raised his head up in a threatening manner. The two vets merely took a step back. While Sarah showed a bit of intimidation and jumped a little, Suzanne stood her ground and gave him a stern glower. "I'm already in deep sh*t right now and am paying the price."

The head vet, who had been taking notes of the class on the clipboard she had, stomped up to the carnivore to slap him on the snout. Broken Jaw recoiled with a surprised roar, the tip of his muzzle stinging at the hit. "Broken Jaw, haven't you forgotten what we just told you? We're doing this for your own good," Suzanne berated. "Your actions on how you took your conflict yesterday were unacceptable, not to mention immature. We have standards here at Prehistoric Park. Seeing as how you lacked the education on how to deal with emotional problems, we've decided to help you on them, out of the goodness of our hearts. There are ways to resolve problems without the use of violence."

"But going through a boring-ass peace session?" he said in a low growl. "I'm going to die out of boredom before these three months are done."

"Well it was either this or the other 'options' we mentioned; helping repair the damage in the park you made while under supervision, rooming with Espantos, or 'dung control' with Nero."

"Don't know who that last guy is," Broken Jaw huffed. "But I'd rather not do any of them. Besides…," he sighed with a hint of regret. "I don't want to see Alyssa for a while."

The dark-haired senior member sighed and shook her head. "Right, we can understand that last one. That's why Yin, Charles, and even your friend Woodstock were kind enough to let you room with them. It's better than being alone. Besides, you could learn a thing or two about respectable giants like them."

"Oh? Like what? How to talk to plants? How to accept inner peace and that other crap?" he sarcastically suggested.

"No…like respecting others and being humble."

"Boring!" Broken Jaw boomed.

His outburst was once again met by another scolding smack on the snout. The _Allosaurus_ lurched back, his muzzle stung with the humiliating throbbing caused by a small hairless mammal.

Suzanne narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. The look she gave him was akin to a mother scolding an unruly child. Except the child was over 30 feet long and had the capability to tear her apart if he could.

"Would you like to start helping the keepers on the other side of this enclosure?" she suggested while hiding some amusement. "There are huge piles of feces that need to be hauled into the waste department."

Broken Jaw looked away to mask the down panned disagreement that arose on his features. He sighed, knowing that if he did anything rash, he would be in deeper trouble. The humans went easy with placing him on the other side of the park, surrounded by giants that look at life in a whimsical fashion…most of the time. Broken Jaw did not want to think of what sort of things the humans could do if he did something worse.

"No…what's the next lesson?"

Meanwhile, further away from the resumed anger management lesson, a group of dinosaurs and a former sea-going pterosaur silently watched. The shade of the palms and the small fortress of ferns provided the small _Ornitholestes_ and his _Rhamphorhynchus_ companion the perfect protection from the warm African sun. Standing on both sides were Woodstock and Clearwater, who came along with them to check up on the _Allosaurus'_ grounding. While the _Supersaurus_ were neutral on his punishment, Caius and Flit were happy that he was getting some needed education regarding the matter of his attitude.

"Well, I would say Broken Jaw is doing quite well in his new…tutor session," Caius said while restraining a cringe after Broken Jaw was asked a rather embarrassing question.

"Doing well?" Flit snorted. He glanced at the human women with a bit of worry. "More like his head's about to explode if pushed to the limit. I hope those girls know what they're doing. He might just eat them."

The former alpha _Supersaurus_ beside them chortled. The two small carnivores watched as she let out her amusement in the seemingly dangerous situation. Her stump of a tail, while still recovering, slammed on the grassy terrain with a thump. "Pfft. Those ladies? Nah! They got this! Besides, if it weren't for the kindness of me and our new buddies here, then where would BJ be? I think those ladies can handle him. If he wanted to hurt them, he would have right after he smelled them coming."

Her son, Clearwater, could not help but give his mother a hint of worry. "Mom, he's not going to eat us while he's living here…is he?"

Woodstock gently nudged her boy's snout, the two of them embracing in their family bond. "No baby boy, he won't. BJ already promised not to. And our human buddies are feeding him, so he won't be coming after anybody. If he does go out of control again, we'll be there to reel him back."

No one said anything else as they resumed watching Broken Jaw in his little class. All of them stifled a giggle when he slammed his head on the ground in exasperation when Suzanne and Sarah asked him to participate in a little roleplay. This was going to be a long day for him…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Herd Grounds…

Aladar strode alongside Neera, his mind's burdens alleviating just a hint after yesterday's ordeal. The sound of the wind blowing and the faint bellows of the herd several yards away brought about a sense of normalcy. It was a refreshing feel compared to the insecurity and considerable outrage the herd made earlier the previous day.

The fight between Al and Broken Jaw did not go unnoticed. The roars and commotion they were creating by no means sparked the doubts and apprehensiveness of living in this valley with predators that should have been buried a long time ago. And it certainly did not help that a certain Terror Bird relayed the news to the herd about the small breakout soon after it was just resolved. Regardless of the news that a breakout occurred the previous day, the herd erupted in an outrage.

It took a lot out of Aladar and Neera to calm the herd down. Their trust had been faltered after what had happened. The fears of rogue carnivores coming after them spiked again like a hidden tremor in the earth that awakened. If any human was present during the meeting, they would have compared to the herd's insecurities along with the possibility of another breakout to a ticking time bomb. Only with the alphas reassurance that the humans quickly realized the threat and thus worked to resolve it as soon as it occurred. The one who started it, whom Aladar pointed out as Broken Jaw, since he was the one who started the conflict to begin with, was quickly detained. The herd was once again put at ease, but the two alphas did not need to probe them further to know that suspicion and distrust remained.

The male _Iguanodon_ may have a forgiving nature and regarded Espantos revealing the truth as an act of innocence on his part, but a part of him felt like smashing the giant bird's head into the ground for ruining the peace they worked so hard to uphold.

Now today there were a few herd members that approached them on the matter. Those herd members did not believe a word of the alphas' reassurance so it took the two ornithopods some more time to calm the crowd. While they were difficult with their skepticism, they were easier to handle than a whole herd of over 200 individuals. And it was not hard for either of them to think of how things were faring with the lemur clan after the breakout. Neither of them saw any primate go about in the valley yesterday. The best answer to that mystery would be that the lemurs were too nervous to go out the rest of the day in fear of getting caught up in another breakout.

Today they saw a few of the prehistoric primates. It would seem that Plio and Yar managed to calm them as well. But whether they were still nervous about being in the valley or not was still up in the air.

"Phew, I'm glad that's done," Aladar let out a relieved sigh as he brushed off the encounter with the skeptic herd members. "That went smoother than I expected."

"Smoother?" Neera mused, giving her mate a surprising nudge on the shoulder. "We did receive a few protests here and there."

"Protests that we could handle. At least nothing too terrible came out of it."

"Oh?" the slender female chuckled. "You were expecting them to start arguing and perhaps there would have been an uprising?"

Aladar rolled his eyes playfully to match her humor. "Pretty much." His face took on a hint of knowing doubt on them being in the valley. "But I can't shake the feeling that some of the herd are starting to have doubts. With the problems of breakouts and the fact that we're living with carnivores, I don't think we can deny that not all of us are too comfortable with being here. Even I thought they accepted the circumstances by now. We were lucky this breakout did not reach our part of the valley. But even then, our friends who were less fortunate to be in Al and Broken Jaw's way had to deal with the chaos without much help. I'm worried about how they're dealing with what happened."

"I'm worried about them too, but don't forget, everyone here is stronger than they look. I heard from Suzanne that despite the damage that occurred, no one got seriously hurt. Shaken, yes, but no major injuries," replied Neera.

"I'm glad to hear that."

A moment of silenced passed between them. Neither of them said a word as they looked upon the now peaceful herd grazing from afar. A few of the herd members had approached the lake to get a drink. Some of the younglings, unaware of the threat that hung above their heads temporarily the day before, quickly jumped into the water for a swim. The laughter and splashing pervaded the air, giving a sense of peace in the seemingly troubled time.

"Aladar, I know how you feel," Neera said, drawing her mate's attention from the herd.

Aladar raised an eye ridge from her remark. "About?"

"About the herd and their doubts," she began with heartfelt concern. "It's only been a few months, but we're just beginning to get used to this time. The humans have done so much for us, but as what we have observed, words aren't enough. Despite the herd progressing as far as they have, they truly only respect strength and actions. They NEED to see something that would demonstrate their security and trust. So far, the humans' actions are only doing us big favors. What the herd needs right now is a BIG example that would prove to them that they can protect the herd from threats."

"Well, how are the humans supposed to do that? How are they supposed to prove their worth?"

Neera nuzzled him affectionately, her neck craning over his. Aladar gladly returned the gesture and shared his warmth with hers.

"It will take time. Big answers like that can't be rushed. And besides, don't forget about our friends here, especially Hazel. She and the rest of us have always found a way to work through problems. I've got a feeling we can overcome this problem…together."

"Well whatever they need to do to erase all doubts," the male alpha said as he looked into her beautiful yellow eyes. "They better do it fast. I don't know how much longer we can keep the herd's uncertainty at bay."

"The time will come. We just need to wait a little longer. I'm sure our friends have a plan."

Neera nudged his snout playfully, making her mate laugh softly. Her reassurance and calm demeanor had eased the doubts he had like a wave washing dirt away.

"We just need to be ready for when that day comes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nigel's Den…

Nigel quietly sat at his desk, sipping his afternoon cup of coffee. He had been working hard all morning on assisting with repairing the damages from yesterday, and with dealing with Broken Jaw that morning regarding his punishment. While construction was slow, his employees did succeed in getting a small portion of the foundations ready. Suzanne and her team had to temporarily relocate their business to another compound within the Vet's Surgery since their primary operating room was completely demolished. Bob's Workshop, on the other hand, was worse off. Being a single standing building, it had no defense against the two warring _Allosaurus_. Poor Bob had to move his base of operations to the Holding Pens, where a large tent had been erected inside. Any spare pieces of equipment they had in storage or supplies that survived the buildings destruction were placed there.

Getting back into the swing of things after the breakout had been hard for the keepers, but Nigel kept their hopes up and reassured them that they went through worse. Plus, he had just placed a call to the main S.A.G.E.S headquarters requesting equipment replacements. The people on the other line were suspicious as to why he would need some more supplies, which he explained that there was an explosion caused by a couple of overheated generators. Nigel played his strings well as they did not ask any more questions on the topic. Bob would need to drive over to HQ to get the new supplies within the next couple of weeks.

But that was then, and this is now. He needed a break, and it would not be long before he had to get back to helping the others with repairs.

He was supposed to be at the Employee Center to greet the new park recruits. The Employee Center was one of the newer buildings in Prehistoric Park, built just around the time Hazel first arrived in the valley. The building's purpose was as a rendezvous point for new employees, where they would be dropped off after their 4 hour trip from Johannesburg. However, receiving new additions to the staff happened once in a blue moon. The Employee Center housed a few large meeting rooms, where Nigel would usually hold his staff meetings regarding the park and its Residents. Before its construction, meetings would usually be held in the park's café, but he decided to have a building where the meetings would be a bit more…professional. The meeting rooms had long wooden tables where at least twenty people could sit, along with comfortable office chairs and a large TV that could remotely connect to any computer. Then there was a faculty lounge, a couple of bathrooms, as well as the large gathering room that would cater to the newly arrived employees or for full-staff meetings.

Due to the workload around the Park, however, Nigel was unable to make it to today's induction ceremony. Instead, he asked Hazel to take over for him. Being that she took her friends around Prehistoric Park before, and would serve as a way to heighten her leadership skills, this was a good opportunity for her. Besides, he planned to meet up with them later in the day.

He will, however, miss out on seeing their faces when they would see the big secret Prehistoric Park held.

"How long has it been since this place was built?" he wondered. "10 years? 15? I can't remember."

Curious, he dug through the first drawer on his right. Searching through the contents of office supplies, he eventually found a few photographs he had kept hidden underneath the piles. The first one, which was the one he had been looking for, was a little crumpled from time and being under other objects.

When he closed the drawer and took a look at it, he found himself staring into the happy face of his younger self.

"Hi Nigel!"

One quick turn to his left and Nigel noticed Breezy land on the wooden rim next to his desk. With the _Microraptor_ enclosure being so close to his office, the man would get frequent visits from the small gliding predators. Breezy and her Guild would usually eavesdrop on his meetings in his office or just watch him work on future plans for the park. From listening in to his conversations, they would be able to get the information to Espantos, who would then spread it to the rest of the Residents in the park. That was how their courier system worked.

Nigel did not mind that. In fact, it would save him and the rest of the staff time on explaining important events to the rest of the park. However, this would also be troublesome if there was a bit of information that was supposed to stay secret. He nearly had a disaster when Breezy told Hazel about the park's financial problem last time.

But other than dropping in to get the scoop on the news, the _Microraptors_ would usually come over for a little snack, because they would smell the cashews that Nigel always had on him.

"Hi Breezy," he greeted as he took out a small bag of nuts from his pocket. Opening the Ziploc, he took a few pieces out and laid them out in front of her. The insectivore gobbled the nuts up happily.

"Ah that hit the spot. Thank you," she beamed. The little raptor licked her lips to ingest the small salty bits that stuck around.

"How are you today?"

"I'm alright," she swallowed again, wetting her throat. "Tired, but alright. My Guild and I just finished going around the park, making sure everyone was alright. Espantos was NOT kidding; those to _Allosaurus_ wrecked half the place! We had to be cautious about where we landed otherwise would have slid onto sharp spikes. What was the fight over again? Gliding around and just it being a long day made me forget."

"Do you want the short version or the long version?" the man asked.

"Just the short version would do," Breezy adjusted her wings so they would hug against her sides.

"Teenage drama over a girl," Nigel concluded in one breath.

"Ah that's what it was!" the small glider squawked in understanding. "Well, I will say this. Those boys need to grow up. And exercise a little self-control!"

"Don't put the blame on both of them. Al was merely defending Alyssa's wishes. In fact, from what I was told, he was conscious about where he stepped. It's Broken Jaw that needs more discipline."

Breezy quietly crowed at the mention of the Yellow Skin. "Ah, that troublemaker. I saw him in the newly named 'Sauropod Treetops'. Might I say, he is having a 'Fabulous' time with Suzanne and Sarah."

It was then that the park creator gave the _Microraptor_ and amusing gesture. A twinkle in his eye made Breezy want to snicker. "Oh? He is?"

"I overheard him say he'd rather stuff his head in a pile of dung rather than endure another lesson," Breezy stifled a giggle.

Nigel burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Well not to worry. I'm sure everything will click in no time."

The black and white plumed dinosaur exhaled to relieve the amusement she was holding in. She was about to turn away and glide back to her Guild deeper in the treetops when she noticed the piece of paper Nigel was holding. Taking a curious glance, she noticed five individuals standing in front of several mountains, which had a very dense forest that spanned the entire area. The trees had trunks so thick that they reminded her of the trees she used to climb back in her period of time. The vines that hung off of it looked similar to the vines on the lemur's tree. And if she had been paying any attention to the background, she would have seen that this was taken not far from where they were standing.

Since Breezy and the rest of the _Microraptors_ spied on Nigel frequently, they managed to understand the objects that the man handles, including what books were, what a computer was, and even seen him write with a pen and pencil. A picture was no exception. They were basically leaves of various sizes that captured a single moment in time. As such, a photograph was nothing new to her.

But this was the first time she had seen this picture. The five individuals in the picture were humans, all of them standing close to each other as they smiled into the blank space that was the camera lens at the time. Who those humans were, that she did not know.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh. Just an old picture I had laying around," the man responded, lifting the picture up momentarily.

Breezy jumped from the ledge and landed right next to his left arm. Nigel did not flinch at the sudden movement, as he was used to how her species operated. The _Microraptor_ inspected the picture as she glazed over each human within.

"What is this of?"

"My friends, most of which will look familiar to you."

Upon closer inspection, Breezy found what he meant. The humans did look familiar, especially the one in the very middle. The man was about six feet tall, wearing the same blue shirt, brown shorts, and plaid thin vest that Nigel always wore. His hair was dark brown and lacked any sign of white on the sides. His face also lacked any lines or signs of age. There was a reason why this man looked familiar, and it was not hard to see why.

"Hey! That's you in the middle!" Breezy jumped excitedly after seeing Nigel's younger self. "Except you looked younger."

"Indeed it is," he nodded and then pointed at the picture he held. "This picture was taken before the park was constructed."

"And there's Suzanne! And Bob! Is that Marcus in the back? Why does he have two fingers atop Bob's head?"

Even though the picture was taken a few years ago, Nigel's colleagues did not look that different than now. Suzanne's hair was shorter and was styled in a bob with a fringe in the front. Since the park was not constructed yet, she wore a beige T-shirt with the silhouette of a _Triceratops_ skeleton in the front along with denim capris. Bob, while he had no hair then and still does not now, wore a bright yellow beach shirt with the same dark brown shorts he always had. Marcus, on the other hand, did look a bit younger in the picture. His hair was messier and a bit longer than the present. He did, however, retain his usual love of popular media, as he wore a faded grey tank top with the 1980's Batman logo. His grey shorts, however, had a few rips on the knee portion to keep with the punk style. He also retained the tool belt he always carried.

But as for Breezy's observation, he did notice that Marcus had his index and middle finger sticking up behind Bob's head. Nigel snickered at that as he remembered the anger his colleague had when he found that he had been made a fool that time.

"Hahahaha! That's just Marcus being funny," he laughed. "Bob was pretty ticked when he saw that. He wouldn't let Marcus live it down for a week."

The chittery glider cocked her head at the thought of how someone like Bob handled a prankster like Marcus. "Huh…I wonder how he pulled that off?"

As she observed the picture further, she noticed one more person in the mix. Due to her excitement of seeing a younger Nigel and the rest of the senior staff, she overlooked an unknown human male that stood next to the human she was convening with. This man had the same color skin as Marcus and was nearly the same size, except he had shorter black hair and had a different fashion sense. This man wore a light blue polo shirt and long shorts with multiple pockets. Wrapped around his left forearm was a bright red cloth, which humans would call a bandana. Strung on his belt, brandished in broad daylight, was a small dagger.

"Who is that man next to you? I've never seen him before?" Breezy questioned, not tearing her attention away from the picture.

"That's one of my oldest friends, Jacob. He was Hazel's father," Nigel replied with a sad smile. "This picture was taken sometime before he went missing."

"I see…I'm sorry," she bowed her head in respect for a moment. "I can see the family resemblance, you know, between him and Hazel."

And she was right. Hazel's face looked similar to her fathers, except hers was a bit angular. She did share the same nose shape; slightly narrow and having a slim bridge. It was like she was looking at a male version of Hazel.

"Why are you looking at this now?" Breezy wondered.

"Well, I wanted to reminisce on the past," Nigel explained. "This was one of the best pictures I have due to how lush and green it was. And it just so happened that I remembered I had this."

The Microraptor then did something that the senior employee found to be odd. She looked from the picture, then to the mountains, and then back, several times. After a minute or so, she turned around and made her observation known.

"Huh, come to think of it, your picture does look different than what I'm seeing now."

Curious as to why she would say something like that, Nigel got up and stared at the landscape to his left. Passed the treetops of the small forest, he noted the dense forests that lined the mountains in the distance. The lush and green vegetation were what the native animals of this part of Africa, as well as the lemur clan they housed, relied upon. But the one thing that was different was the lack of vegetation at the base. That was due to the wood needed to help create this sanctuary, and part of that deforestation was to help clear space for Aladar and Neera's herd.

Breezy was right. A bit obvious, but correct. There was a significantly smaller amount of vegetation in this valley. When he and his colleagues found this place, it was as lush as a dinosaur valley in the Jurassic Park movies. They chose this place because it was remote, healthy, and expansive enough to support a sanctuary like this. There was enough space to cater to large animals, in specific quantities of course. But he could not help but notice that the valley was lacking a bit of its…luster. In the picture he had, the trees were a dark green and the grass was so thick that a person could just lay on it to take a nap. Now the vegetation was inferior than it was before.

"You're right," Nigel agreed with a nod. "Time, erosion, and construction changed this place. I suppose my work has pulled me from paying attention to the littlest of details."

Just then, before he was about to comment any further, the sound of loud footsteps on hardwood drew their attention away from the scenic view. Looking towards the bridge leading into the office, the small dinosaur and the park leader found a frantic and exhausted Bob keel over on his knees. Judging from his heavy breathing and panting, he had been running for quite a while to get to this place.

"Bob? What's the matter?" the concerned Nigel inquired.

"Trouble Nigel. Real trouble," Bob coughed before righting himself.

"Another breakout?"

The head keeper shook his head. The answer relieved the worry from the man's mind. "No no, far from it. It's some of our longtime Residents, specifically the vegetarians. We're getting a mountain of complaints from them!"

The man wearing the loose blue shirt and vest raised an eyebrow. Residents? Complaining? While hearing about complaints was nothing new in Prehistoric Park, he could not help but feel anxious on what the problem was. Any problem that the park Residents were having were his problem as well. Their happiness was his happiness too.

"What's it about?"

"They're complaining about their favorite vegetation not being as abundant. Our stores are running out of their favorite foods too. The next shipment isn't until next month, but even then, we may not have enough for everyone. And mind you, it takes quite some time for those plants to regrow."

It was at that moment that a fear that he thought he buried when this park was first made came back to haunt him. This place was chosen because of the ample space and that it had enough food to accommodate large herbivores. But over time, they had rescued more and more herbivores while the park grew. Aladar and Neera's herd was no exception; they relied upon greens and lush vegetation to live. Take all that away and their home would just be some kind of desolate prison. The same went for the sauropods that roamed around the valley. Large animals need to eat large amounts of food to sustain their immense bodies. If there is not enough food to go around, they would starve.

But, for Nigel, when it came to fears, he would always have a solution. As he stared back at the landscape, thinking about the solution to this vegetation problem, he did not take into account that Breezy and Bob had been watching for the past few minutes. Telling this to the park will not be easy. It will cause panic, and no doubt it will create more complaints.

"Nigel, what do we do?" Bob broke the silence.

He looked back and gave him a knowing stare. "Bob…do you remember our last meeting regarding our contingency plans?"

The head keeper shook his head. "Not exactly. It's been a while. What about it?"

"I don't know when our next rescue mission is. And I surely don't know how many more Residents are going to be added to our roster. I may have not taken all factors into account when this place was first made. I don't know about you, but this place is starting to feel…small."

Bob's eyes lit up in realization. "You don't mean…"

Nigel sat back down at his desk. His hands clasped together and then were brought close to his mouth. Determination and resolve filled his eyes. Breezy, while unnerved about the idea of the herbivores starving, waited for whatever solution Nigel had. As did Bob, who shifted his feet as he waited for his boss' answer.

The nod he gave along with the solution shocked them both.

"I think this park needs a bit of an upgrade. It may be time for this place to go through a second…renovation."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Prehistoric Park Employee Center…

While Nigel was handling the newest project for the Prehistoric Park, on the other side of the park was the medium sized building of the park's employee center, filled with an assortment of new faces. These were the new hires that Nigel handpicked for various positions of the park. These 23 rookie employees were merely a taste of what was to come. With how many Residents that the Park had obtained, Nigel saw it fit to increase the number of his staff, the first 23 new hires being just one of many waves that would join their ranks.

However, the applicants' 'non-disclosure' agreement that they signed did raise a few brows and has left them mostly confused and a tad bit concerned of the validity of the supposed "endangered wildlife sanctuary"; the heavily frosted windows that obscured the outside of the bus they rode in didn't help ease their worries. This resulted in the rookies meandering about the waiting room for their tour guide of their new workplace. Fortunately, the waiting room was supplied with refreshments and drinks for the rookies to occupy their time with some food. As many of the new hires formed their own cliques and talked amongst themselves, one newcomer was awkwardly by himself. He checked the time on his phone before sighing.

"It's been almost two hours since we got here and still no welcome committee," the young man groaned. "Damn cryptic brother. ' _It'll ruin the surprise!_ ' Pfft!"

Ellis Rey had little patience when it came to standing idly by. The young Filipino man was currently standing off to the side as he fanned himself with his orange _Portal_ baseball cap. Personally, he blamed his ADHD. However, Ellis had never ventured out of California, let alone the states to a foreign country before, so he was understandably nervous. Heck, Ellis didn't even know where he was exactly. The frosted windows of the bus he and the recruits were on was obviously his brother Marcus' handiwork.

The older brother never mentioned it, but he would always put his initials on certain parts of the projects he worked on. Marcus may be a team player, but Ellis knew that their family was a bit vain when it came to the things they were proud of.

The new engineer scanned the crowd of the assembled employees. It honestly reminded him of high school with how the people gravitated towards certain people. He would have joined the engineers' group, but he felt a bit self-conscious. He was at least several years younger than most of the applicants, making him feel like a kid out of his depth; plus, the older engineers all wore professional looking clothes while Ellis opted for casual jeans, tennis shoes, and a vinyl t-shirt of the last comic convention he visited. It didn't help that he felt as if he "cheated" in the hiring process by having his brother as his immediate superior.

Just as he was about to fetch himself a drink, the crowd parted to reveal a young woman.

She wore a white chiffon blouse along with a tasteful denim skirt. Her chestnut blonde hair parted in a way that left a single bang skewed on her heart shaped tanned face. Ellis may have been an introvert, but he could appreciate beauty when he saw it, and that girl had beauty in spades. Currently, she was sitting off to the side on one of the many chairs against the wall, nibbling on a sandwich and trying to make herself as small as possible. Ellis could see that the blonde was a wallflower much like himself. The rookie engineer counted himself lucky that he found someone closer in age to him and figured that he could connect to her better.

Taking a few moments to psych himself up, he refilled his punch and made his way to the shy girl. When he got near her, he made himself known.

"Hey there!" Ellis greeted.

Not expecting company, the blonde jumped before responding to the newcomer.

"Um… hi?" The woman said, brushing a strand of her long hair behind her ear.

Ellis counted himself lucky. She wasn't telling him to leave, so this was a good sign. Emboldened, the continued to converse with his hopefully new acquaintance.

"You know, for being in a group of twenty-something applicants, you don't look very comfortable. Nervous about being here?" Ellis said, trying to be sympathetic.

"Er um…I suppose so. Well, not really. I'm okay with being here, it's just I don't know anyone." The blonde freely admitted. Ellis also took note of the woman's interesting accented voice. It wasn't an immediately recognizable tone, but he kept his interest to himself.

The new engineer just nodded.

"That's okay. Being in a new place and being around new people, it isn't bad to feel a bit nervous. In fact, I'm feeling a bit intimidated just by being around folks who are older than me. This is my first job after all." Ellis revealed to his blonde acquaintance.

The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh? Your first? What did you do before applying to this job? I thought you needed to have some kind of experience. If you managed to get in here, you must be good in your profession."

"Eh…not much. I'm just really good with machines. I didn't really do much myself," Ellis sheepishly shrugged as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't mean to brag, but I kind of got in with some help. You know, networking."

"So you know someone here?" the blonde woman said, amazed at his luck. She then nodded her head. "That's good. It's nice to have someone to turn to for questions."

"Yeah and it turns out the guy who helped me land this job was my older brother. He's also my supervisor."

"Your brother!?" the woman said with a start. "You're really lucky then!"

"Heh, I guess. This place needed an engineer and I needed a job. So Marcus pulled a few strings and BOOM! I'm in." Ellis told the interested woman. He swore his face was getting red from the girl's constant praises.

The accented blonde huffed as she leaned back in her chair.

"I wish my enrollment was that easy. I had to work to get in here," the woman recruit divulged. "I volunteered at popular zoological organizations and went to the best schools for veterinary studies. Those were not easy to get into either, especially if they were international."

Ellis gave a low whistle. "International? Damn, you did a lot of stuff for your resume. College must have been busy for you."

The blonde shrugged. "Yes well…I suppose college would still not be easy for an 18 year old."

"Wait!? You're 18!?" The engineer went bug-eyed from that.

The woman was startled from the sudden volume of the young man. His surprise managing to gain a few curious glances from other recruits. They shortly returned to their own conversation, much to the blonde's relief.

"Yes?" the girl tentatively said.

"Holy shit! You graduated college at 18!? How!? You must be some kind of prodigy if you pulled off a feat like that!" It blew his mind that the girl two years his junior finished her college years. And he thought he was clever for finishing his schooling at 20.

The blonde girl tilted her head in confusion. "I suppose that is the term Americans use?"

Ellis stared at her dumbfounded before returning to his senses.

"Sorry, forgive me for asking, but who are you?" He asked, realizing that for as long as he was talking to her, Ellis didn't know her name.

The enigma giggled before responding. "My name is _Ntéizi_ _Lefkó_. But in the common tongue, you can call me 'Daisy White'."

"Ellis. Ellis Rey." The engineer revealed, offering his hand in greeting; Daisy accepting the handshake. Ellis bit his lip before asking what was on his mind. "Um, this may also sound stupid, but where are you from? Your accent is…well, I've just never heard it before."

Before the exotic woman could answer, a new voice spoke up.

"She's from Greece. Athens if her dialect is anything to go off of."

Daisy and Ellis turned to look down the row of seats. In one of the many chairs was a man that was a few years older than Ellis. The stranger wore simple blue collared shirt and slacks, very formal in the engineer's opinion. He was currently engrossed with National Geographic magazine, and if he wasn't currently glancing at the pair, Daisy and Ellis would have assumed that the voice that spoke to them was someone else. They watch as he turns a page on his magazine, but he doesn't pay any mind to them.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." The Grecian woman apologized.

The older man merely shrugged as he continued his reading. "It's fine. It's not like I was trying to be seen."

Both Ellis and Daisy were a bit put off from the man's clinical response. Daisy thought that she must have done something wrong. Ellis merely thought that the man was just an ass. Nonetheless, they didn't want to start off on the wrong foot and decided to let the insult slide.

" _Syngnómi_ (I'm sorry). My name is Daisy," the blonde Grecian greeted. "If you recognize my accent and know where I am from, do you know Greek as well?"

" _Xéro arketá gia na peráso._ " (I know enough to get by.) The man curtly said.

Daisy smiled and clapped her hands. She was glad that there was someone else that knew her native language; even with his distracting American accent. Sensing the tension ease up, Ellis took that moment to cut into the conversation.

"Hey dude! Ellis is the name. And…you are?"

"Chris Sinclair. But just call me Chris," the now named Chris sighed. He put down his magazine, sensing that he wouldn't finish his article without further interruptions.

Ellis, not seeing the slightly disgruntled look of the older man, grinned. "Pleasure. So, what did you apply for?"

"Keeper. Had some experience with working with animals." Chris informed his younger colleagues. "My trainer is a guy named Bob, but apparently I'll be working with some girl named Hazel. Hopefully she's not some bossy stickler, otherwise I may have a problem with this place."

"You're working with Hazel!? Well, small world, because I was told I'll be working with her too. At least according to my brother." The rookie engineer said.

"Same with me." Daisy chimed. "What a coincidence!"

"Yeah…coincidence." Chris murmured a bit uncertain of the situation. "Hey, you know why these guys covered up the windows on the bus ride here? Everyone was pretty restless the whole four hours. Not that I minded though; I needed the nap."

Ellis shrugged his shoulders while he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know either. But I do know that my brother modified the bus windows. He also made sure the walls were soundproof. I don't know why though."

"Your brother fixed up the buses so we wouldn't be able to see anything?"

The engineer confirmed the rookie Keeper's suspicions with a nod. "Yeah, that's my bro's handy work. He always put his initials at the corners of whatever he works on. My family's vain like that."

"Huh…well at least we know who did it. Why do that though? This is an animal sanctuary, right? It's not like they have anything to hide. We'll be working with endangered animals, according to the job profiles. Unless they really are hiding something? It's a bit suspicious if you ask me." Chris said with a hint of doubt.

"It is weird. I called my brother on the way here, but he wouldn't say a thing. I can't remember how many times I asked him." Ellis said with a frown. "And he kept saying the same thing: 'You'll find out soon'. You think we're working for some kind of Black Market company?"

The rookie Keeper shook his head. "Doesn't sound like it. I read up a bit on Nigel Marven, the guy who apparently runs this place. There doesn't seem to be any suspicious activity he's done in his career, unless he's keeping it from the public. But if I get one hint of illegal animal trading in this place, I'm calling the government."

"I don't think it'll come to that. My brother speaks highly of his boss. And he's not a guy that's done anything sketchy before. Well, mostly. So I trust him."

"Well let's hope it stays that way." Chris huffed as he crossed his arms.

Before their conversation could continue, Daisy nudged Ellis' side, gaining his attention. The blonde Athenian gestured toward the ruckus at the entrance of the waiting room. Entering the room was a young woman in a grey short sleeved open shoulder shirt and knee length denim shorts. Her black hair, which was normally free-flowing, was instead pulled back by a blue headband. The girl got up to the podium and tapped the microphone on the stand, gaining the attention of the other 20 hires. Once everyone quieted down, the young woman smiled.

"Phew, sorry I'm late. I had to prepare a few things on the way here. Welcome everyone, to Prehistoric Park, our little 'hidden part of the world'. My name is Hazel Veran and I'll be your guide for today."

Ellis was amazed as he got a good look at the now named Hazel. She's actually younger than what he expected. He expected her to be a 40-year old woman. Instead, he's looking at a girl who looks like she was barely older than himself.

Hazel then continued her friendly greeting. "I trust that your ride here went well. From what I was told, there didn't seem to be any accident of any sort."

Murmurs go about, some people complaining about their secretive bus ride to the Park and aloofness of the employees that the rookies HAVE encountered. The girl on the podium continued her introduction.

"I understand your concerns about why we were being…suspicious, as you probably think. But believe when I say that we have our reasons to do so. The truth is, what we do in this park is actually a bit of a surprise for you guys. We just didn't want to spoil it until later. And second…well, we'll get to that later in the day."

"Where's Nigel Marven?" a voice from the crowd finally spoke up. The new hires were expecting to meet their actual boss, not one of his personnel.

Hazel glanced in the general direction of the question before speaking. "He is currently helping the construction crew with some broken buildings in the park, and will not be joining us until later in the day."

"What in the world?"

"So Nigel's not coming?"

"Broken buildings? What happened?"

The impromptu tour guide gave a small grin at the confusion before regaining her professionalism.

"Long story," Hazel chuckled. "Now, if you all will please follow me, we'll begin the fun part of today."

The new employees all gathered and followed the retreating Hazel to the exit. Many still had questions, but decided to hold their questions to themselves, at least until the end. As they were walking out, Chris, Ellis, and Daisy were coincidentally the ones nearest to the front, making them closest to Hazel. Chris cleared his throat to get Hazel's attention as she led the group.

"So why the heck is this place called 'Prehistoric Park'? You got some dinosaur animatronics around here or something? Seems like an odd place for a tourist attraction. We're in the middle of nowhere."

"You'll see." Was Hazel's only response as she gave him a sly side glance.

The whole cloak and dagger routine was honestly getting on Chris' nerves.

As the group reached outside, they were stopped cold in their track from what they saw.

Standing in front of them was an enormous purple and tan winged creature with a large beak and a purple upturned crest. They were seeing it, but they were having trouble believing it. However, it was difficult to dispute a live _Pteranodon_ standing in front of them. The animal was idly standing by, with a strangely bored expression on its face, but it brightened up as soon as its eyes landed on Hazel.

As the once-thought-extinct flying reptile approached the group, many of the recruits cowered behind their comrades. They yelped and gasped in surprise at the sight. Overall they were just plain amazed. Ellis, overwhelmed at the sheer impossibility, grew faint and was swaying a bit. Before he could keel over and face-plant, Chris Sinclair grabbed the engineer's shoulder and righted the stunned Ellis; although, he wasn't doing much better. Daisy White just covered her mouth as she gasped, amazed at the supposed extinct animal in front of her. To her, it seemed like a miracle.

Hazel, to their surprise, merely smiled and waved her hand.

"Oh, hi Flia. You decided to stick around?" the Asian woman casually asked, gaining even more confused looks from the rookies.

"Of course. I wanted to see who was going to be staying with us. Might as well get to know them." Flia tittered, unbeknownst to the humans who just arrived to Prehistoric Park who couldn't understand.

Everyone was shocked to see Hazel talking to a LIVE prehistoric creature. So many questions ran through their minds. Ellis personally thought his new "Boss" was crazy when she started speaking to the flyer as if she were talking in plain English. Maybe she was like the old neighbor lady who talked to her cats like a baby? The rookie engineer had no idea.

"Is…is that a robot?" A random recruit tentatively asked, taking a step in fear.

Hazel turned to the voice and giggled "Nope~! This is Flia, our resident Pteranodon. And one of my best friends." The woman gestured to the prehistoric creature wit a wave of her hand. "Flia, meet the newest recruits to Prehistoric Park."

"Hello everyone." The Flyer spoke up with a kindly nod; not that it mattered, since to the uninitiated only heard a series of squawks and caws.

Daisy White raised a hand like a school child before speaking up. "Um, you're friends with a dinosaur?"

"Are you talking to that animal?" Another random rookie inquired.

Hazel nodded. "I can understand her. In fact, I can understand ALL prehistoric creatures. It's a long story."

"That's impossible! Dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. You're saying that thing there is ALIVE!?" A naysayer shouted, not quite believing the scene in front of him.

Hazel smirked as she merely nodded. "Yup. She's flesh and bone. Flia here came from this very area, 65 million years ago. I'll touch up on how this was possible later on. Also, she's a pterosaur, not a dinosaur."

"But HOW do you understand it… I mean her? Will we get to understand her too?" Another recruit asked.

"All will be revealed in due time." The time traveler clapped her hands together once and gestured with her hand ahead of her. "Well, no time to dawdle. Let's get a move on. There will be plenty of time to get to know everyone here."

The group bid farewell to the surprise pterosaur visitor, Flia taking off to relax elsewhere, and followed Hazel deeper into their new workplace. The places they saw were Bob's workshop that followed a path to Nigel's Treehouse office. Hazel picked this route with minimal Residents to try to ease her new coworkers into the park so they wouldn't have panic attacks. However, that didn't stop the group from seeing some noteworthy creatures along the way that were going about their business or helping with Prehistoric Park's reconstruction.

Amongst the group, Ellis, Chris, and Daisy were gawking at the sights around them.

Chris was glass-eyed, having seen a few sauropods pass the tour group, hauling what looked like construction supplies.

"Holy…shit," the rookie keeper murmured.

Ellis ribbed the older man, equally stunned by the sheer impossibility of this animal sanctuary. "Yeah no kidding. Now I know why my brother was being secretive about his job. To think there are dinosaurs here!"

"Not just dinosaurs…" The man commented as he pointed at a wooly mammoth that was strolling nearby. The pachyderm's trunk had a bundle of logs as it made long strides along side several other Keepers. Before he could say anything else, four puppy-sized _Protoceratops_ siblings barked at each other and weaved between Chris' legs making him nearly trip. Seconds later a blonde woman was chasing after the little dinosaurs, shouting after them to "return to the Hatchery for your naptime!"

" _Den to pistévo_ (I don't believe it)…" Daisy was looking all around her taking in the sights, not entirely aware of her surroundings. In her wonder, she missed that her group momentarily stopped to let something else cross their path; Daisy also missing the look of panic dart across Hazel's face. The girl walked right into the pelt of a large animal, causing her to fall on her behind.

"OOF! What the—"

She cut herself off as she took in the brown furred colossus the Ice Age rhino.

 ***RRROAAANN!***

"AAAHHH!" Daisy curled into a ball and covered her head. Before the mono-horned rhino could advance, Hazel got in the way with her hands up in a surrendering motion.

"Easy Big Guy! It was an honest mistake. Forgive us."

The _Elasmotherium_ grunted aggressively, practically snorting hot air into the Asian woman's face. The creature looked as if it wanted to do more, but Suzanne interrupted, prompting the Ice Age Megafauna to follow her for his check up and monthly haircut. Huffing in irritation, the massive animal plodded off, following in the wake of the Head Vet.

Hazel pulled up the rookie vet and dusted off Daisy's shoulder. "Do watch your step next time."

With that said the group continued. Hazel pointed out many sights, either buildings or Resident enclosures. Just as she was nearing the end of her tour, a yellow and black blur darted past the group and over the hill that led to an open savannah. The recruits stagger back, with the exception of Hazel, who was practically used to his antics.

Ellis was startled as the feathered speedster nearly knocked him over. "Holy shit! What is that!? It looked like a huge ostrich!"

Hazel, who was listening to the comments that everyone was making, merely smiles and turns back to everyone as the group peaked over the hill. What they saw brought tears of amazement to their eyes and made them speechless. Aladar's herd was wandering about the savannah, roaming around and going about their day. What completed the picture was Flia gliding over the Herd grounds and letting out an eagle-like cry.

With an outstretch of her arms, Hazel let off the biggest smile at the astounded recruits.

"Welcome everyone, to Prehistoric Park!"

 _ **Darksage: Well guys, it's been one heck of a ride. The story's over.**_

 _ **Marc: This one is. But the adventures continue. In fact, new life in the park is just beginning.**_

 _ **Darksage: Yeah, those characters you just met in this chapter? Let's just say you'll be meeting them again very soon ^.^. And they're just a couple in the multitude of new characters that will come in.**_

 _ **Marc: Now a couple of things before we leave you guys. We've noticed some requests for rescuing creatures from the world of King Kong, Skull Island, and other fictional media. We're not going to include those. As mentioned before, any creature featured on a documentary is fair game, even if they were in films.**_

 _ **Darksage: Another thing. We did mention before that the Christmas story took place after this one. To clear up any confusion, the new rookies mentioned in this chapter went home for the holidays early. Plus, the story centered on Hazel in that one. Also, Nigel may have found some new recruits for now, but that doesn't stop him from going through applications in the future.**_

 _ **Marc: Now you guys are probably wondering what'll happen next. Well, things in Prehistoric Park are never peaceful for long.**_

 _ **Darksage: More adventures await Hazel and friends in the future! The sneak peek is nearly complete too, so expect it in the near future ^.^.**_

 _ **Marc: Well, I think we covered all the points. Shall we do the sendoff?**_

 _ **Darksage: *raises hands up* Ready when you are…**_

 _ ***Both wave hands down as a chorus of dinosaur and mammal bellows fill the space***_

 _ **Darksage95 and Marc Ello Re-Yes: See you guys on the next issue!**_


	20. A Sneak Peek on Book 4

_And now for a sneak peek on what's to come…_

Hazel arched her back, fixing a muscle that had gotten stiff throughout the day. Becoming a leader and checking up on the area to make sure things were running smoothly were more of a handle than she thought.

Today had been fairly eventful to her, but it certainly did not beat running from carnivores, escaping a blast wave from a meteorite, or participating in a fight that could have been in any Jurassic Park movie. Her mother and sister secretly following her to Prehistoric Park and discovering her secret in the worst way possible was difficult. Heck, she was nearly forced to forgo her place in her home all because of her mother's overprotectiveness. It was through her determination and faith in her friends that she stood her ground…and had the courage to fight against her mother. As much as that put more of a strain on her relationship with her mother and possibly her sister, her place in Prehistoric Park was far more important. Her friends, both human and Resident, were her family. She would do anything to protect them and to be with them.

Then there was the completed transfer from the 21st century to Temporary Park in Late Cretaceous Alaska, near modern day Valdez. Because Nigel, his other senior colleagues, as well as the rest of the employees that decided to stay behind to expand the park and allow the plants to grow, the Residents that were able to make the move and the humans who volunteered to go had to hurry in haste. Temporary Park had been completed long before Hazel first set foot into Prehistoric Park. The moment when Nigel revealed that there was a temporary facility stationed in Alaska during the Mesozoic period was baffling. The man had recorded the exact date, time, as well as the precise location of when construction was completed. That way, when the facility was needed, they could just go ahead and use that place in its prime condition. Getting the Residents into Temporary Park was busy, but it was made easy thanks to the mobile Time Poles that were placed in their enclosures. Those Time Poles were connected to their temporary enclosures on the other side. The only problem was Aladar and Neera's herd; they needed to be placed in the large expanse just outside of the main hub of Temporary Park. The engineers needed to move the White Noise horns further down the valley to account for the huge size of the herd.

Next, there was the part where she needed to make sure that things were running smoothly after the move. The food supply crates needed to be escorted to the food warehouse. The medical equipment needed to be stored in the airplane-hanger sized infirmary. The emergency winter supplies needed to be taken to the storage facility; even though they were in Alaska in the middle of summer, it did not hurt to be prepared for cold episodes. Nigel and Bob prepared them with winter coats that were best used in the Artic, loads of solar blankets and heaters to keep warm, as well as other safety gear. Those silly men; packing those supplies was just going overboard. Still, it did not hurt to be prepared. Even Nigel made sure that Hazel packed her winter coats and some warm attire, as a safety measure. She practically had to pack at least three suitcases to accommodate his…demands.

Finally, there was the task of preparing her room for the stay. Just because she was staying in a room that looked a bit like a jail cell, minus the bars, and the concrete walls were a dull gray, that did not mean she shouldn't organize it a bit. Her mattress was fitted with a bright blue bedsheet and matching pillow, a purple and grey plaid comforter with a warm furred interior; not that she needed it but it didn't hurt to be prepared. Folded on top of it were two purple and grey winter blankets. The few posters she brought from her room, as well as the maps and charts that Nigel provided her, decorated the walls. The blank bookcases parallel to her closet and wardrobe were eventually filled with the books she brought from her room. Her closet and wardrobe had been organized within 30 minutes. And her bathroom, which was in the connecting room across her bed, had been outfitted to her tastes in under an hour.

Everything was done, and it was only mid-afternoon still. Now all she wanted to do was to plop on her mattress and have a much-needed nap…

 _ **SLAM!**_

"Gah! What the!?" Hazel jumped. Her eyes bugged and a nerve on her forehead popped when she saw who stormed through her doorway.

She thought she escaped her. She thought the portal closed before she could catch up to her. She was wrong. Now her furious mother was there, ready to explode like a volcano. Hazel braced herself for round 2 against her overprotective and borderline insane parent.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" the newly named leader of Temporary Park screamed in frustration.

"Finally...found you," Beth's voice seethed with rage. "You have NO IDEA how long it took for us to get to this place!"

"Oh? Did you wander around the park? How was it? Looks nice, right?" Hazel snarked.

"DON'T PLAY COY WITH ME!" the older woman spat. She stomped up to Hazel, who barely stood her ground when she stopped within a few inches of her. "My decision still stands; you are to resign your position and come home with us where it's safe! Now get your things and let's go!"

The girl narrowed her eyes. Her loyalty to her friends and TRUE family shone on her features. "Mom, I've already told you. As the future leader of the park, it's my duty to carry on Nigel's, and by extent Dad's, work. Plus, I'm a grownup! You can't tell me what to do!"

"Yes I can! You're my daughter!"

"I'm 21 years old! And if I can recall, I don't live under YOUR house anymore!"

Hanna, who had silently stepped into the room yet stayed clear out of reach of the two warring women, tentatively voiced her opinion on the matter. "Both of you, please stop! If we could only just-"

"Doesn't matter! You are mine regardless!" Beth retorted, stopping her younger daughter's attempt at peace and practically ignoring her. "I'm not going to let you risk your life for these...these... dumb animals!"

It was at that moment that something in Hazel snapped. It was like a piece of thread, one that was held taught by two great weights, split in two. Her circle of friends was among the most intelligent beings she had ever encountered. Sure they weren't perfect, everyone has their faults. But they were there for her. They supported her when all seemed lost. They stood by her side through thick and thin. They taught her about so many things in life. They were her family, and nothing, not a proclamation from someone who didn't believe it, could change that. Calling them animals, not to mention _dumb_ animals, was not only an insult to them, but an insult to her.

That was something she would not stand for.

Hazel held her own in fights in the past; _Velociraptors_ , Kron, Nero, Diablo, a pack of _Ceratosaurus_ , and more recently, Red Sand, who was Broken Jaw's mother. For the longest time, her trials were against dinosaurs. She never thought she would be involved in a fight against a human, particularly her own mother. The budding leader thought this fight was left behind. She thought they put their differences aside. Apparently not…

Hazel balled her fists. Her eyes started to water. She blinked them back, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. "Take that back! They're not dumb! And they're not just animals! They're sentient beings who are just like us! They were there for me when you were not! They RAISED me! But apparently, you wouldn't know because you don't even know them! Heck, I doubt you'd even want to give them a chance!"

The weathered Beth Silva gritted her teeth. Her eyes, which held anger, were ever more fueled with rage. "Oh yeah? What about that huge bird thing we encountered before?"

Her eldest daughter flew her arms up and rolled her eyes. Of course she would use him as a scapegoat. His introduction was not the best when it came to her mother and sister. "That was just Espantos! He's always like that! Besides, I gave you those communicators so you could better understand them."

The protective, impulsive mother took a step back. A sigh escaped her throat, followed by her placing her index finger and thumb on the bridge of her nose. "It would seem we're at an impasse." She glared at Hazel, her gaze holding Hazel in place. "We are going back, where we can talk to Nigel about your future."

Hazel narrowed her eyes. While they were no longer in the 21st century, this park was her domain. She was in charge of it. Nobody has any right to order her around, not even someone of her blood. And even if Nigel were involved, there was no way he would agree to her mother's terms. He chose her as his successor. He was not one to back down on his own word.

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen," she defended. "Nigel chose me to take over for him when he no longer can lead. The years of trials I went through were all to prepare me for that day when I become leader. He is a man of honor. Nothing he says is a lie. Sure, I've got a long way to go, but he believes in me. He knows I can do it. I intend to live up to his expectations."

"And you haven't met them yet, but my friends in the valley are among the best friends I have ever made. In fact, they're more like my own family than you ever were. We played together, we traveled together, we fought together, and we cried together. They were there when you were not. I may be small compared to most of the Residents, but they help me to be taller than my own enemies. You can try to take me away, but I know that my friends will never let that happen."

Beth gawked, her eyes wide with shock. Hazel kept a straight face, but deep down, she smiled. If any of her friends were here now, they would have been proud to hear her say that. However, she also knew that she may have hurt her mother, possibly to the point where she would no longer be important to her. What she said was the truth, and it was a truth that Beth would need to accept.

Hazel loved her mother. That she could not deny, though her trust in her waned over the years. But a mother does not undermine their child's dream of becoming something more. She supports them. Beth was doing the exact opposite. Her overprotective nature prevented her from seeing the good in the Residents. All she thought of was the Residents being mindless beasts who would gobble up poor helpless humans for dinner. No, they were not that. Scientific perspective aside, none of the employees or the other Residents would allow that to happen.

If only her mother would give them a chance. And Hanna. She could never forget about her. While their argument was strictly between mother and daughter, she was left out of it. Hanna was frightened when she met Espantos. No doubt she was thinking the same as well; monsters that were out to kill. They need to see them in a proper light.

Then, Hazel thought of something. Something she nearly forgot. They were here in Temporary Park. The way back home was closed. This was the perfect opportunity to prove to them that she was destined for this job, and that the Residents were not ones to fear.

Hazel inhaled, gaining a calm composure despite the hot water she was in. "Mom, Hanna, I know you are scared. You want me safe and you care about me. I can see that. I love you both, but my place is in Prehistoric Park, where I belong. If you can't see the truth in that, then I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for the fright that Espantos gave you earlier. He didn't mean to, I swear. You see the Residents now as mindless monsters whose only thought is to kill. They are not. If you act hostile towards them, then they will act like that. All I ask right now is for you to give them a chance. Open yourselves up to them."

"And why would we do that?" Beth scoffed, a sarcastic smile creased her face.

"Because it's probably the only thing you can do now while you're here or you can help the other employees while doing that. Or not. That's your choice."

Hanna took a step forward, her face riddled with confusion. "What do you mean? What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying that going back home isn't much of an option now. The moment those Time Poles closed after you stepped through the portal, they were immediately unsynchronized with the time flow with the Time Poles in Prehistoric Park. The Time Poles we use are connected to the date, time, and location of the Main Time Poles back at home, regardless of the period of the day in our end. Nigel had Marcus unsynchronized the Time Poles this time for a particular reason. They needed to do that so that they could carry out renovations without interfering with life in the Park for the Residents."

"I don't get it," her younger sister said, puzzled.

"Alright, I guess I'll have to use Layman's terms. The desynchronization of the Time Poles means that time between now and the 21st century will go differently. Time at home will go faster. The portal is closed, and none of us will be able to operate it until our time here is done. Renovations in the park will last for a while, so I suggest you both get yourselves comfortable. In short, you're stuck here for the next 3 months."

"3 MONTHS!?" both Hanna and her mother exclaimed.

"Yup. And on the other side, renovations will continue for 2 years. I hope you brought your essentials because you two will be here for a while."

"But I can't be gone for 2 years!" the athletic dressed girl cried. "I have to get back to school after 3 months!"

Beth, horrified at the new predicament they were in, nearly lost her footing at the idea that they were trapped in an unknown time, surrounded by some of the most dangerous creatures to have ever walked the earth. "I have a job to get back to. It's demanding. I can't be gone for more than a few days. And the house…who's going to pay the bills? Who's going to look after the garden? And the credit cards…who's going to handle those?"

She looked at Hazel, her breath now shaky. "Please tell me this is not true."

Hazel nodded, her answer causing a frightened gasp to escape her mother's throat. "I'm sorry. You're stuck here for the next 3 months/2 years. The only way to get back is to wait for the Time Poles to become operational again."

"Can't you fix them? Allow them to take us back home?"

The young time traveler shook her head. "No. The Time Poles are linked to the main ones back home. Even if we did fix it, you'll only end up in a random time period. The risk is too great. You could end up further in the past, or worse. You don't want to end up in a time period where the earth is still forming or where you'll end up as some carnivore's meal without proper protection. Your best bet to get back home is to wait it out."

Her two family members fell silent. Hanna looked down on the floor, her thoughts lost in how trapped they were. Beth, who was equally stunned, could not even utter a single word. All she could do was silently stare at her eldest daughter for some kind of small ray of hope in this crisis.

"Mom, Hanna, I know you're upset, but this isn't all that bad. We may be here for a couple months, but you're in one of the safest places in the world, at least in this time because we're 70 million years in the past. So long as you remain within Temporary Park and not wander off, you'll be fine. We've got a White Noise system that will keep invading wildlife out. And then there are the wooden walls around the main hub of the park. Trust me, you're okay."

She then took out her phone and checked the time. Her screen read 3:40 PM. It was still daylight out too. They had been in this argument for at least 40 minutes.

Hazel, now feeling fatigued with the stress of dealing with her overprotective mother, decided that a break was needed.

"I've got some work to do. I need to check up on the Residents," she lied. While she was not planning to do that until later, she needed a window of opportunity to temporarily escape them. "You wanted to know what I do in my job; well now's your chance. I need to go out and make sure everyone's adjusting well in this temporary setting. Besides, you can get to know my friends this way."

She rushed up to the door and proceeded to open it when her mother stopped her.

"Hazel, don't you dare step out of this room! We're not finished yet!"

"Sorry, you can't order me around. I'm the boss here. If you need anything, or have any questions, just ask the other employees in the park. If you still have the Communicators I gave you, use them now. Otherwise, go and find Ellis so he can give you new ones from his stores. As for supplies, the storage facility should have some extras. There should also be some extra clothes there you can use. Finally, I'll have someone set up some living quarters for you."

With that said, Hazel turned the knob of her door, pulled it wide open, and rushed out. Both Hanna and Beth were left in the room, speechless and stunned.

What have they gotten themselves into?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Outskirts of Temporary Park…

While Hazel was busy with trying to forget her recent bout with her mother, Aladar and his mate, Neera, had been doing their own tasks around Temporary Park. Since their arrival not too long ago, they were busily inspecting each and every corner of their temporary abode. Though he had not been a leader for too long, the alpha male knew that in order for a sanctuary to be deemed appropriate, it would need to have enough food, water, protection from outside forces and predators, and space to run around in. So far, his and Neera's expectations had been met, if only barely.

The food in the new valley was strange. There wasn't much leafy green vegetation in the center, only small sprigs, bushes, and mosses. While the _Iguanodons_ and _Parasaurolophus_ were not big fans of such greenery, they at least had two options to turn to for food. For one thing, it was the forest in the back of the valley. They found several greens that they could eat. To the humans, they would be gingkoes and confers, which were in abundance. Then there was the food storage in the park. According to what Nigel told them before they left, that place had enough food to last for a few months. The food they ate grew in abundance there too, but they were warned that the humans were the only ones that would serve them the greens, as it was only accessible to them. Herd members wanting to get some food would have to wait there during specific times of the day.

The water was cool, yet refreshing. Dinosaurs like them who have survived in warm climates as well as trekked through unforgiving hot deserts find this to be welcoming. The only thing was that they felt the water was a bit too cold for bathing. That may be a problem when anyone wants to get cleaned. They would have to scour around for a good place to bathe later on.

Then there was the general landscape. The valley was nestled between a set of mountain ranges. The walls of the valley were protected by those tall, imposing rocks that seemed difficult to climb. However, they did not appear to be as tall as the mountains they were used to seeing back at home. There were little to no hills either. The only other defining feature was a large stream that waved around the area before flowing beyond this part of the valley. It was a flat location.

But still, this was where they would be staying for a few months. Despite the differences between this valley and their home, at least they had protection from outside forces and have enough resources to go around. Not to mention, the herd's urge to migrate seemed to have been satisfied, at least temporarily.

There was one thing that had been bothering them. The temperature. In the Nesting Grounds, and by extension, Prehistoric Park, they were used to warm temperatures all year round, save for the periods of time when they had cooler days. They were tolerable and not much of a bother. Here, however, it was as warm as those cool days. Nigel had told the alphas that they would be taken there during the summer season, the "warm days" as he put it. Yet, for some reason, it felt unbelievably cool. It was puzzling. Was there some kind of mistake that human Ellis made when he opened the portal? Or was it because they were in a new land and were not used to the climate?

Whatever the case, this place was new to them, and they needed to adapt. At least they were happy to know that everyone was doing fine. Their children were off playing in the fields or getting a bite to eat around the area. The lemurs were adjusting to their new abode with Irwin in the newly named "Crocodile House". The rest of the Residents were getting situated in their new enclosures. And then there were those giant "white flimsy mountains" that the humans were constructing around the main hub of the park. From asking one of the human workers, they were able to learn that they were "tents" that could house at least 50 individuals or a couple of sauropods if they huddled together. They would have these "metal fires" that would warm the place up. They were told that since they were in a cooler climate, there may be periods where the air would be a bit too cold for their tastes. The tents would be there so the Residents could warm up.

While Aladar and Neera were pleased that they did not have to worry about the cold, they were concerned about what would happen when it did get cold. The seven tents that were constructed were welcome to all, which included the carnivores. The herd made great strides with getting along with their flesh-eating neighbors, however, there were a couple carnivores that failed to go along with this sort of peace; Diablo and Rascal mostly. The _Iguanodons_ wondered how the humans would deal with them. Perhaps they would have their own personalized tents? They had no idea.

Whatever problems they would encounter, they would need to take them with an air of caution. This was a new land and they were its guests. To upset the balance that happens here would mean dire consequences in the future. But right now, they were just happy to know that their valley would recover during their stay in this new time.

"So Aladar, what do you think of this place?" Neera asked her blue-green mate as they strode along the flat green plains of the park outskirts.

"Um, it's...different?" he chuckled. "Though that's only putting it mildly."

"It sure is."

"The plants found in the forest in the back are different," said Aladar. "And they taste different too. The water is oddly cool. It's refreshing, but probably not the best for swimming."

"Right but other than those kinds of observations?" the female alpha hinted for a more positive approach.

"This place seems safe. What do the humans call these large rocky things around the valley?" he asked as he looked around the border of the valley.

Neera lightly laughed, amused by her mate's ignorance of the humans' extensive vocabulary. "I think Hazel mentioned they were called mountains. Come on Aladar, we live around them back at home."

"Right right, I just forgot," he sheepishly replied. If he had any sweat glands, he would have perspired from that comment. "Anyway, predators will have a tough time with getting over those to get to us. The valley is large enough for us to roam around in. I wouldn't be surprised if we bumped into any locals around here."

"Hopefully they'll take our presence as welcoming. I don't want to end up getting into an argument," the female slender alpha commented, making sure to get her voice up after a couple of _Parasaurolophus_ honked several yards behind them.

Then, as Aladar was about to reply to that, his mate decided to change the topic. This new one surprised him as he never though something like this would occur.

"Speaking of which, did you hear about our two new stowaways?"

Aladar arched a figurative brow. "Stowaways?"

Neera paused at her mate's ignorance. The male alpha turned at her sudden frozen gait. "Wait, you don't know?"

"Know what? Tell me."

"Hazel's mom and sister are here," she said so casually.

The sea-green _Iguanodon_ gawked, his maw nearly colliding with the matted grass they stood on. "What!? You're serious!"

His mate nodded blatantly. "Yup. They went through the portal right before it closed, or so I heard. Lethe told me they ran into her earlier. Poor things, they were frightened. She tried to apologize for shocking them, but they ran off screaming," she told him after making a cringed frown, the memory of Lethe repeating the event earlier disturbed her.

Aladar sighed, shaking his head at the new problem the park now had. "Oh great. Does Hazel know about this?"

Neera shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe. Why do you think they're here?"

"My guess? They're adamant in bringing Hazel back to their homeland, which I don't think she'll agree to easily."

The compassionate ornithopod frowned as he looked back towards his herd, or more specifically, back at where Temporary Park was. From his vantage point, he could see the faint silhouettes of the clustered small buildings and the enclosures where the other Residents lived. The Residents that were not adapted to a cooler environment were put into large indoor "caves", or houses as the humans called them. Such Residents included the _Plateosaurus_ , Espantos, though he seemed to be running amok outside after the _Iguanodon_ noticed a red and yellow blur slip around the corner of a building, the _Ornithomimus_ , Irwin, along with the lemur clan who were rooming with him, the _Microraptors_ , the bugs, Al and Alyssa, and Broken Jaw and his guardians. Those that did not have a house were the ones that could adapt to such conditions due to their sheer size and/or for other reasons. The park had an army of Residents, and including his herd, it was pretty massive. Each one of them came from a different point in time and had their own characteristics that made them unique…and in the worst situations, dangerous.

Aladar frowned. Hazels mother and sister were scared for a good reason. They were among creatures they thought extinct, at least in this time. Their accidental arrival and their discovery was like a rock thrown in their faces. The alpha wanted to kick himself for not being there to console them before, but he was busy with resolving minor arguments in his part of the valley back at home. Now all he could feel was guilt for not being there to help.

"Aladar?" Neera called out to him, noticing his change in demeanor.

"Sorry Neera," he glanced at her for a moment. "I'm just worried."

"About Hazel?" said his mate.

He shook his head. "No. Her mother and sister."

"Why?" Neera approached him until she stood by his side. "They have a negative impression on us."

Aladar looked deeply into his mate's beautiful yellow eyes. He could see the confusion welling in her on why he would think that way. He was always one to think of others but thinking of those who think negatively on him was something he rarely does unless the situation called for it. He could not blame her. She was raised in an aspect where those who think poorly of you were considered enemies. But Aladar was raised differently.

"That's the thing. Their first meeting didn't start very well. They didn't have the means to communicate with us. I may be crazy for thinking this, but if I were in their place, where I couldn't understand anyone and encounter something unknown, I would have been scared too. I can't blame them for feeling that way. If they don't open themselves up, they could wind up getting hurt."

"Okay, I see your point," the alpha female nodded in understanding. "But what about how they view us?"

"Well we'll just have to fix that," he smiled confidently.

"We got off on the wrong hoof," the _Iguanodon_ lifted one arm up to show his point. "I think we just need to introduce ourselves properly."

"And if that doesn't work?" Neera questioned an air of caution.

"Then we'll keep trying. They're just like our herd when they were adjusting to life back at home. We'll have to prove to them that they have nothing to fear."

His fuchsia companion and love looked back at the park, wondering about the outcomes. "But I wonder how Hazel is going to handle them."

Aladar stood tall, even more confidence and optimism raining from his posture. "Hazel's a big girl. I'm sure she can handle them. From what we heard, her status with her mom has gotten better."

Neera almost rolled her eyes when she injected the negative point. "Then it got worse when she met Espantos and learned about her daughter's secret."

Her mate, not taking that jab so easily, shook it off. "Well, it's a setback. But she'll pull through. If any problems come up, we'll be there to help her."

"Whatever you say," she replied then started with another point of concern. "What about her sister? Hanna, was it?"

The male _Iguanodon_ shrugged. "I don't know. Hazel never mentioned having a negative relationship with her. She's scared, but she seems like she'll be more open to meeting us."

And he knew it. Of all the times Hazel told him and the others about her family, it was always about how angry she was at her mother and how miserable her life was without her father before she came to the park. The human mentioned her sister sometimes, but only that they rarely talked. Hazel never said anything about them arguing. That led Aladar to think that those two were on good terms, or at least got along well enough.

"That's true. Do you think she'll like us?" Neera inquired, hoping Hanna would not end up like her mother.

"Of course!" Aladar beamed, almost making the female jump in surprise. "I bet we'll get along just fine. Though I hope she knows who to avoid. Hazel better tell her about our more...social intolerant neighbors."

"Let's hope that rubs off on her mother."

Introducing themselves to Hazel's relatives may be a challenge, since they already had a negative disposition on them from the get-go. However, this was similar to what happened to their own herd. When they first arrived in the park and they found out that there were predators living with them, everyone felt scared, including the lemurs. Predator and prey lived by one law; to eat or be eaten. Survive by living or else die. To live with the very creatures they learned to avoid was a drastic change in the natural law. It took the efforts of Hazel, the humans in the park, and those that sympathized with them to show that there was nothing to be afraid of. Now the herd members got along with the predators, the fear of being eaten faded into memory.

Yet that did not stop them from having a few doubts. They were friendly now, but what if there was a time when all that would be forgotten? All of them hoped that time would not come.

Hazel's mother and sister were in the same situation. The only reason why they would view them as killer monsters was because of the reputation of the predators. While fearing predators would be acceptable in the appropriate situations, doing so in Prehistoric Park was not so. Now Aladar and Neera, along with everyone else that is willing to help, would have to teach them right from wrong.

When Aladar was about to further press on the topic, the sound of wing flaps brought them back towards the direction beyond the park borders. The land, which was once clear, had suddenly gotten foggy. The air became cooler, their scales pricked by the incoming cold. The wing flaps grew louder, and its source came from above.

The gusts of wind they felt on their scales were a result of a large pterosaur flapping its great wings. They watched, now unfazed by the small beats of wind, as their sky scout landed before them. Her beak was curved into a frown on both sides, and her breathing was deep with gasps.

"Flia, what's the matter?" Aladar asked, sensing her distress.

"We've got a problem. A big one!" she panted, now on all fours.

"What do you mean? Predators?" Neera tensed up as she crouched, fearing that native carnivores were coming to devour members of her herd.

The _Pteranodon_ shook her head, causing the female _Iguanodon_ to relax, only by a little. "No. Far from that," she looked back at the rolling fog in the valley passage that led into their area before returning her attention to them. "I was scouting around the area, checking out the lay of the land, when I found a whole herd coming towards this direction. They're coming here fast!"

"A herd?" Aladar said, puzzled yet with a hint of delight. "Well, it would seem the neighbors here knew about us and want to greet us. We'd be more than happy to get to know them if they'll let us."

He frowned once more when Flia shook her head again.

"No, I don't think so. I took a good look at their leader, and he doesn't seem very happy. I think we may have intruded into his herd's territory."

"What are they? How many?" Neera asked quickly.

" _Pachyrhinosaurus_ , a whole slew of them! Their group is about as big as ours too. Probably bigger."

Just then, a deep moan echoed afar. The trio looked to the rolling fog, only to see nothing. The grounded cloud became dense as moments wore on. Soon, more bellows sounded off. The herd, who were either exploring their new surroundings or trying out the shrubbery that grew abundant on the earth, snapped their heads towards the valley passage. Uneasiness welled up in their guts at whatever was approaching in the fog. Every dinosaur in the vicinity fell silent like a dying wind.

Their uneasiness grew when a horde of shapes began to step out from the fog. At first, they looked like rolling mass of black with horns. Then, as they grew closer, the rolling mass turned out to be their frills, each one having two horns jutting out at the top in a sideways fashion. Flia was right; it is a herd. The line of herbivores approaching spanned from one corner of the passage to the other. It was a large herd, one that rivaled theirs in sheer size.

Aladar did not want to take any chances. While they were not predators, they did not know if they were friend or foe. He turned to his sky scout and immediately gave her his first order.

"Flia, go find Hazel. Tell her what's happening. We'll do our best to smooth out this misunderstanding."

She said nothing more as she opened her wings and jumped away. The giant pterosaur flapped upwards before angling herself towards Temporary Park.

Aladar did not need to look back to make sure she was doing her job. Flia was trustworthy. No, the real problem lay before them. The ceratopsians that approached sported a darker hide than the ones in their herd. The only exceptions were two of the _Pachyrhinosaurus_ that were at the very front several feet from the main group.

The herd's alphas. They had to be if the others were falling behind them.

The one on the left had a pale hide with light brown accents. The horns around the frill were smaller and straight. The stubby horns in the middle above the snout were pointed upwards rather than forwards. Not only that, but this one looked slenderer than the others behind.

If there was anything Aladar knew about _Pachyrhinosaurus_ , it was that straight horns and thinner stature meant they were females. This must be the alpha female.

Which meant that the one next to her is her mate.

This one, unlike the others that had a reddish-brown hide, like Sarge's, looked like a reddish-orange. The horns on his frill were curved, however, the ones at the top were irregular in size. The alpha male was oddly smaller than the others in his herd, being nearly the same size as the female next to him.

Though he was far away, Aladar could tell that this one was not pleased. He always shook his head before lowering for a moment. From watching Sarge do some training against others of his kind in the herd, the _Iguanodon_ knew that motion was to intimidate rivals. The lowering of his head was then followed by a quick thrust upwards, like a stubby claw making an uppercut to its target.

Aladar stood his ground. These were the locals that he wanted to meet. Yet being on good terms with them for being on their land uninvited seems far off.

The alpha male _Pachyrhinosaurus_ let out another loud bellow. It was a roar that echoed all around the valley. The roar, while threatening, was a summons. The alpha male wanted to meet the intruders. And there was no doubt that if things did not go well, there will be a fight.

Aladar gulped. His emerald eyes locked onto the eyes of the angry bull ceratopsian. He did his best to calm himself as the large herd approached.

Mustering up his courage, he walked towards them. His mate followed not far behind. Before long, their entire herd was following them. They too made bellows of their own; nervous grunts, intimidating honks, and sharp roars.

The alpha male said nothing as he walked up to the newcomers. His eyes did not break contact from his potential rival's gaze. Nothing faltered his attention.

Not even the semicircle hole in the upper right part of the frill.

 _ **Darksage: And cut! Phew! Well that was a roller coaster!**_

 _ **Marc: For you that is. But it was pretty fun.**_

 _ **Darksage: Yup! So, it looks like we've got some new characters coming in! Not only do we get to see Hazel's family (and the new characters in the last chapter of PR), but we also get the involvement of…the cast from Walking with Dinosaurs 2013.**_

 _ **Marc: Not to mention a few other…additions to our cast that we'll introduce along the way.**_

 _ **Darksage: Right. Them too.**_

 _ **Marc: Now we know what you're thinking. Why are we adding this kind of media into our story when it didn't do very well in the box office? Well, first it's part of our story and the characters have some involvement in it. Second, the movie story seemed appealing even though the dialogue wasn't the best. Don't get us wrong, it was an entertaining movie, just not as great.**_

 _ **Darksage: Well except for when the movie kept having those cut-off screens with the dinosaur information and all that. I felt that was unnecessary.**_

 _ **Marc: Eh, I guess. So, a couple of things regarding this crossover. We may be adding WWD 2013 in this, but we're going to dull down the jokes about crap by about 20%.**_

 _ **Darksage: What!? No! 80%.**_

 _ **Marc: What? Sage, that's too much!**_

 _ **Darksage: Part of the reason why the movie didn't get high ratings was because of the dialogue regarding those crap jokes.**_

 _ **Marc: Yeah but that's removing most of the humor!**_

 _ **Darksage: 80%**_

 _ **Marc: 30%**_

 _ **Darksage: 80%**_

 _ **Marc: 60%**_

 _ **Darksage: 80%! I'm not budging.**_

 _ **Marc: Fine…75%. Happy?**_

 _ **Darksage: Ugh…fine whatever.**_

 _ **Marc: Good. Besides, we're going to fix their dialogue too.**_

 _ **Darksage: By the way, we also want to give you guys a heads up. There may be one or two creatures in our next book that will be somewhat off-kilter from their time period/where they were found. Don't worry, it's not too drastic because they lived close enough to the actual time periods they lived in. The rescues happening in this story are exceptions. We're not going to do anything outrageous like rescue a mammoth in the Late Cretaceous or anything. The other rescues we'll be doing in the future will still coincide with scientific accuracy, unless those creatures had certain appearances in movies/TV shows then we may be leaning towards keeping their appearances the way they are.**_

 _ **Marc: Yeah. Disney pulled in so many dinosaurs from different time periods and locations in Disney's Dinosaur (not to mention made Diablo bigger than what his species was). Walking with Dinosaurs 2013 pulled in creatures from various locations even though they lived around the area and were in the same time period.**_

 _ **Darksage: Don't worry. After this, it won't happen again.**_

 _ **Marc: One more thing. This is going to be a pretty big story due to what's going to happen in it.**_

 _ **Darksage: Expect a lot of action and drama! ^.^**_

 _ **Marc: Other than that, we hope you guys enjoyed Prehistoric Revolution. The next one is currently in development. Stay tuned for the next issue!**_

 _ **Darksage: See you next time in DaPPA: The Long Night of Winter! Coming soon to a website near you.**_


	21. PR Soundtrack Lists

_Okay everyone. Here are the soundtrack lists for DaPPA: Prehistoric Revolution. Nothing much to say, except we hope you enjoyed this story. The next one is currently in the works. Rest assured, it will be out soon._

 _Thank you so much everybody! See you next time!_ _ **Disclaimer: We don't own any of the media in DaPPA (movie, TV show, or music). We only own the characters we created.**_

Prehistoric Revolution Soundtrack:

Battle Cry by Skillet (Main Theme of Prehistoric Revolution)

My Everything by Owl City (Hazel and Flia on their first night in the Jurassic Period)

Mad World by Gary Jules (Finding Broken Jaw for the first time)

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day (Broken Jaw theme)

Break by Three Days Grace (Alyssa theme)

Set the World on Fire by Black Veil Brides (Hazel, Flia, Aladar, fighting off the scavenging Ceratosaurus)

We Are One by 12 Stones (Big Al theme)

Warrior Inside by Leader (BJ vs Shirley 1st time)

Haunted by Kelly Clarkson (Woodstock and Clearwater)

Revenge by Plain White Ts (Broken Jaw vs Shirley the Torvosaurus alternate)

Stand by You by Rachel Platten (Hazel and Flia making up after returning from the Jurassic period)

War of Change by Thousand Foot Crutch (Broken Jaw 11 years later)

Back from the Dead by Skillet (Hazel, Flia, and Broken Jaw vs Shirley)

All That You Are by Goo Goo Dolls (Big Al meeting Alyssa again)

Ignition by TobyMac (Big Al vs BJ over Alyssa's affections)

My Sacrifice by Creed (Hazel and Flia friendship)

Prehistoric Revolution OST:

Actus Dei by Scorebuzz Music (PR theme song)

The Time Portal by Daniel Pemberton (Hazel and Flia depart for the Jurassic)

Flying theme from How to Train Your Dragon (Hazel and Flia over the Jurassic Landscape)

Palm Sanctuary by Brandon and Derek Fiechter (The Watering Hole)

Sadness and Sorrow by Taylor Davis (Meet Broken Jaw/witness his fall)

Last of the Species by Daniel Pemberton (Hazel and Flia meet Alyssa at the mud hole)

Rescue by Thunderstep Music (Alyssa gets assistance from Hazel, Flia, Marcus, Aladar, Naomi, Embo, Lethe, and Sarge)

The Final Battle by blacksheep806 (Ceratosaurus battle/Alyssa's rescue)

Time of the Titans (Return to the Jurassic period/encounter with the Diplodocus herd)

Suite for Allosaurus by Mark Leggett (Encounter with Broken Jaw, Caius, and Flit)

Into a Dark Dawn by Roman Heuser (Broken Jaw vs Shirley 1st time)

Survivor by Skysprod (Broken Jaw, Hazel, and Flia around the campfire)

Scowler Duel by Paul Leonard-Morgan (Hazel, Flia, Woodstock, and Broken Jaw vs Shirley the Torvosaurus)

Battle of the Salt Plains (Rescue of the Diplodocus herd and encounter with Allosaurus pack)

Why by Jurrivh (Hazel and Flia making up after their fight)

The Chase by Antti Martikainen (Big Al, Hazel, and Flia vs Red Sand)

An Era Begins by Mark Leggett (Big Al meets Alyssa)

T. rex showdown by Daniel Pemberton (Big Al vs Broken Jaw)

Rebirth by BrunuhVille (Hazel with the new recruits/Ending)


	22. Book 4 Sequel Alert

**Darksage: Hey guys. Just want to let you know that the 4** **th** **book of the DaPPA series is now up. Come check out the prologue!**

 **Marc: Fair warning. It is intense in terms of action and MAJOR emotion.**

 **Darksage: Oh yeah!**


End file.
